A Trend Micro study shows how remote working in Italy has increased awareness of the need for cybersecurity.
Recently, Trend Micro, a leading company in the industry, announced the results of a survey conducted with Sapio Research on remote working involving more than 13,000 workers in 27 different countries. In Italy, 506 companies participated, interviewed in May 2020.
Italy was one of the first to implement the lockdown, which forced many to work remotely. This has increased both the use of online platforms, but has also increased the danger of improper use that can occur with these tools.
As many as 73% of respondents said they had developed a greater awareness of cybersecurity. 88% of the sample said they closely followed the instructions provided by the company, while 96% agreed that the security of their company also depends on the work of each employee.
Unfortunately, not all data are positive. Approximately 64% said that the use of unofficial products poses a significant risk. Yet 51% said they have installed unofficial applications on company devices, and as many as 34% also entered sensitive data into them.
Other disconcerting data include the use of company products for personal use, 74% surf for private purposes, and 11% visit pornographic websites, while 5% even access the dark web, although 79% have restrictions on websites that can be visited.
Moving instead to the use of corporate data, then 37% access from private devices, thus violating the security policies they must comply with. And that’s not all: 21% let unauthorized people use company devices, such as 69% partners, 31% friends and 21% children.
The use of applications is disconcerting, as 1/3 of respondents prefer productivity over data protection because the applications provided by companies are often not optimal. This may make it easier for the worker to use easier systems to complete the job rather than wasting too much time learning something they don’t know about and wasting time, with the risk of failing to meet any deadlines imposed on them.
This is where companies should focus on employee training and cybersecurity, as Linda K. Kane, a psychologist at Edge Hill University, said:
“Employees are very different from each other and there are many aspects that affect behaviour, such as values, corporate responsibility and personality. Companies need to consider these differences when conducting cybersecurity training with the aim of achieving greater effectiveness”.
A fundamental training, continued Lisa Dolcini, Head of Marketing at Trend Micro Italia:
“The critical points seem to be when cybersecurity awareness must be translated into concrete behaviour. Companies must consider the differences within their workforce and insist on training and awareness, at a time when cybersecurity is finally recognized by employees as fundamental”.
Security issues are certainly important and this can be seen from the various attacks that have been reported in different areas and platforms, such as the cases of YouTube or what the British intelligence does to block email scams.
