With over half (51%) of 16-24 year olds and almost half (46%) of 25-34 year olds reporting they’ve used security workarounds, Younger employees are most likely to admit they cut cybersecurity corners, Tessian says.

Additionally, two-fifths (39%) of those who work from home say their cybersecurity practises differ from those in the workplace, with half saying it’s because they believe they’re being observed by IT departments. However, IT leaders are positive about the return to work, with 70% expecting that employees will be more inclined to respect firm security standards regarding data protection and privacy. Only 57% of employees, on the other hand, agree.

Tessian discovered that the majority of respondents believe the hike in phishing occurred during the pandemic will continue once employees return to work.

According to Tessian, more than two-thirds of IT decision makers (67%) expect an increase in targeted phishing emails as cybercriminals take advantage of the return to work, adding to the rapidly growing number of phishing attacks that organisations are facing (the FBI found that phishing attacks doubled in frequency the year 2020).

Additionally, Tessian discovered that 27% of employees admitted to not reporting cybersecurity issues occurring while working remotely.

Over a quarter of employees admit to making cybersecurity blunders when working from home, some of which jeopardised business security, which they claim no one will ever know about.  More than a quarter (27%) said they didn’t report cybersecurity errors because they were afraid of disciplinary punishment or further security training. Also, only half of employees believe they always report phishing emails to IT when they receive or click on one.

You can’t make people aware of security by punishing them. Siccura Cybersecurity Awareness training can teach your employees on how to avoid social engineering attacks by following best security practices.