"Distractions at Work Can Have Serious Cybersecurity Implications"
According to new research by 1Password, distracted employees are twice as likely to do the bare minimum for security at work. The researchers found that 4 in 5 employees (79%) feel distracted on a typical workday, with 1 in 3 employees (32%) saying they’re the most stressed they’ve ever been in their lives. The researchers noted that the top distractions include the Covid-19 pandemic (44%), recession/inflation (42%), economic uncertainty (38%), gas prices (34%), and personal relationships (29%). More than 1 in 4 employees (26%) say that distractions from world events make it hard to care about their job. The researchers stated that this has major repercussions for enterprise security, with distracted workers more than twice as likely as others to do only the bare minimum for security at work (24% vs. 10%). The researchers found that 3 in 4 employees (76%) are aware their individual actions have an impact on their company’s overall security, and 82% would care if they caused a security breach. Nearly 9 in 10 employees (89%) now use authentication products or services such as two-factor (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics, password managers, and single sign-on. The researchers noted that there is a misperception that if security is too easy, it’s not safe. The researchers stated that employees are three times as likely to trust two-factor or multi-factor authentication as they are to trust single sign-on (65% vs. 19%). During the study, the researchers also found that poor password hygiene is notably worse among employees at the level of director and above, with 49% using personal identifiers in their passwords. Despite knowing the risks associated, 1 in 3 employees reuse passwords. The researchers noted that one in 10 workers (10%) have used their work computers or devices for a side gig or another job, and tech workers are even worse (19%). This makes companies increasingly vulnerable to security risks.
Help Net Security reports: "Distractions at Work Can Have Serious Cybersecurity Implications"