Some Employees Think They Can Dodge Cyber Security

The number of cyber attacks is estimated has risen by 67% over the last five years, with the majority of these data breaches being traced to human error. CIOs are under more pressure than ever before when it comes to cybersecurity concerns, especially now that many or even all of the staff in their organisation are working from home, perhaps using unfamiliar software and hardware as they try to do their jobs under lockdown. 

The potential risks of such attacks are vast and can have a serious impact on both organisations and individuals, but protecting against cyber security threats can be extremely complicated. Not only is the technology we use every day getting more complex, but attackers are constantly finding new ways to bypass security measures.

Mimecast has released a study titled Don't Just Educate: Create Cybersafe Behaviour. The survey shows that while customer data breaches and reputational damage around the world is encouraging businesses to re-examine their security practices, employee cyber behaviour still needs to change.

The survey, conducted by Forrester Consulting, found that while 59% of security and IT managers think they are 'ticking the security compliance box', their employees report a huge disconnect. More than half of the 240 employees surveyed in APAC (53%) disagree with that statement, and 51% believe their managers do not stress the importance of good security practices.

The survey was conducted across Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore between January and February 2020 and involved 120 senior IT and business decision makers responsible for cyber safety at companies with more than 100 employees. Respondents represented 20 industry sectors including government, healthcare, legal, marketing, energy, telecoms, transport and logistics. 

The survey included a wide range of questions around Security Awareness and Training (SA&T) Programs in APAC, including security measure and implementation, employee behaviour changes, security culture and overall effectiveness in delivering effective training programs. Results of the employer survey were measured against feedback from 240 knowledge workers within these companies, who regularly use email and digital channels in the workplace.

Across the region the study also found that attending training activities does not necessarily translate to a change in behaviour for employees, with a third of SA&T attendees still admitting to flouting security policies, increasing to more than 50% for respondents in New Zealand.

"While security leaders in APAC believe they've made security a social norm by leading and encouraging others, this survey underscores that employees are not retaining, understanding or implementing key areas of cyber security training - and the existing outdated modes of training are simply not bringing about behavioural change," said Nick Lennon, of Mimecast.  

Additional findings from the Forrester Consulting study include:

• Traditional SA&T is long and unengaging, uses outdated content types, and does not rely on behavioural science to achieve its objectives of behaviour and culture change.
• As a result, employees' behaviours are not changing, which further contributes to a disconnect between employers' perceptions and how their employees really feel about security.
• APAC firms must advance SA&T programs by exploring alternative content types, providing different methods of delivery based on employee preferences, and extending training outside the workplace.

Business leaders and employees need to understand and value the importance of cyber security best practice within their organisation. They simply cannot ignore the consequences or circumvent the protocols,” Nick Lennon said

Efforts to combat this within organisations often involves providing members of employees with relevant training sessions. But such training can quickly become obsolete, or simply forgotten. Workers also tend to be busy. When people are trying to complete other tasks, they might not remember to stay secure, particularly when doing so makes their job more difficult or time consuming. 

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