Member Article

Organisations Facing Greater Risk of Ransomware Cyberattacks This Festive Season as More Workers Shop on Company-Owned Devices

New research launched today reveals increased cybersecurity risks posed to employees and organisations during the 2021 Christmas shopping season. The new research from Menlo Security which surveyed 2,000 employed people in the United Kingdom and the United States found that while employees are concerned about threats and are taking some measures to mitigate them, they often have false confidence in their security posture.

There are now more threats to corporate devices and networks than ever as hybrid work models blur the boundaries between work and home. More than half of respondents (53 per cent UK; 56 per cent US); reported performing non-work-related tasks – such as online shopping – on company devices. Furthermore, the survey found that 63 per cent of people in the UK (65 per cent US) are doing more online Christmas shopping in 2021 compared to previous years, and nearly half of respondents (45 per cent UK; 48 per cent US), reported shopping for gifts this festive season on a work-issued device such as a laptop or mobile phone.

Workers are also noticing a rise in cyber threats this festive season, with 48 per cent of respondents in the UK (58 per cent US) observing an increase in scams and fraudulent messages, exemplifying that threats are rampant worldwide. This is worrying many people, as the vast majority of respondents (80 per cent UK & US) report being somewhat to very concerned about their personal data being stolen while online shopping.

However, despite workers’ recognition and concern of cyber threats, 65 per cent of people (60 per cent US) still believe they’re secure from cyberthreats if they’re using a company device.

Workers are becoming increasingly aware of the threats that loom while browsing the web, however they have a false sense of security about the level of protection they have when using corporate devices. As a result, they are unintentionally exposing their corporate networks to a slew of vulnerabilities. More employees are using company-issued devices for not only work, but also personal tasks like shopping and banking, which is putting entire networks at risk of being breached. To mitigate this risky behavior, organisations must make it a priority to adopt a Zero Trust security approach to prevent cyberattacks before they happen and ensure that they’re protected if they do fall victim to bad actors.

Workers depend on laptops, mobile devices and the web to conduct work no matter where they’re located and many of these tasks are being done in the browser. The survey found that 70 per cent of people (76 per cent US) spend one or more hours in a browser each day conducting work tasks.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Contributor .