Study: Employees engage in risky computing

By

Common employee behaviour may result in data loss or leakage of a company's intellectual property, a new study concludes.


Common employee behaviour may result in data loss or leakage of a company's intellectual property, according to a study from Cisco.

The study, called “The Challenge of Data Leakage for Businesses and Employees Around the World,” examined 2,000 employees and IT professionals from 10 countries — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, China, India, Australia, and Brazil.

 

The research discovered that despite the security policies, procedures, and tools currently in place, employees around the world are engaging in risky behaviours that put corporate and personal data at risk,” the report states.

 

The behaviours include using unauthorised applications on business networks, altering security settings and sharing work devices and sensitive information with non-employees.

 

The study said that employees alter security settings to perform non-work related tasks such as paying bills online, downloading music, looking at pornography or gambling online, which can pose, “serious threats to corporate security and profitability.”

 

Mobile employees pose a threat, too. More than 75 percent of employees said they do not use a privacy guard when working remotely in a public place, the report states.

 

The study also suggests ways companies can prevent data leakage. Recommendations include knowing and managing data well, institutionalising standard codes for secure conduct, fostering a culture of openness and trust and establishing security awareness education.


 



See original article on scmagazineus.com
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © SC Magazine, US edition
Tags:

Most Read Articles

Phishing attack nets enormous npm supply chain compromise

Phishing attack nets enormous npm supply chain compromise

VicRoads to phase out passwords in favour of passkeys

VicRoads to phase out passwords in favour of passkeys

Service NSW centralises security, networking in mammoth CloudOps overhaul

Service NSW centralises security, networking in mammoth CloudOps overhaul

Apple adds "mercenary spyware" protection to new A19 chip

Apple adds "mercenary spyware" protection to new A19 chip

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?