Survey finds 72 per cent of remote workers have gained cybersecurity awareness amid COVID-19

Trend Micro Incorporated released survey results that reveals that nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of remote workers are more conscious of their organizations cybersecurity policies since lockdown began, but many are breaking the rules due to limited understanding or resource constraints.

The results indicate a high level of security awareness, with 85 per cent of respondents claiming they take instructions from their IT team seriously, and 81 per cent agree that cybersecurity within their organization is partly their responsibility. Additionally, 64 per cent acknowledge that using non-work applications on a corporate device is a security risk.

However, just because most people understand the risks does not mean they stick to the rules.

For example:

• 56 per cent of employees admit to using a non-work application on a corporate device, and 66 per cent of them have actually uploaded corporate data to that application.
• 80 per cent of respondents confess to using their work laptop for personal browsing, and only 36 per cent of them fully restrict the sites they visit.
• 39 per cent of respondents say they often or always access corporate data from a personal device – almost certainly breaking corporate security policy.
• 8 per cent of respondents admit to watching / accessing porn on their work laptop, and 7 per cent access the dark web.

Productivity still wins out over protection for many users. A third of respondents agree that they do not give much thought to whether the apps they use are sanctioned by IT or not, as they just want the job done. Additionally, 29 per cent think they can get away with using a non-work application, as the solutions provided by their company are ‘nonsense.’