Study Finds Employees to Be Sloppy About Network Security

How confident are you that your employees act in the best interest of your company’s security with every decision they make? While it’s certainly the case that you, as the business owner, think along these lines, it’s also true that the average worker isn’t nearly as motivated about network security as you are. The challenge, then, for business owners is to get everyone in your organization on the same page when it comes to security best practices.

That said, it’s unlikely that a worker in good standing is out to sabotage your company’s network. Although, an employee that isn’t mindful of security best practices is essentially putting your business at a similar risk. In fact, a recent survey by Studied Workforces shows this to be the case by revealing that 95 percent of businesses have employees in their midst that actively undermine their company’s security measures by their actions and avoidance of best practices. Additional findings in the report include:

• 60 percent of attacks can, in some part, be linked to a company insider.
• 68 percent of attacks are the result of employee negligence.
• 22 percent of attacks are the result of intentional, malicious activity from a company insider.
• 10 percent of attacks stem from credential theft.

To make matters worse, the survey also found that it’s common for employees to misuse company resources to access inappropriate content.

• 59 percent of organizations had employees using the company network to access adult-themed websites.
• 43 percent of organizations reported trends of employees using the company network to engage in online gambling activities.

Even more concerning to business owners is the fact that all of the companies interviewed in the survey had security protections in place. This means that business owners must have a more proactive and engaging security plan in place than simply setting up a few solutions and then hoping for the best. When it comes down to it, employees can bypass your company’s security protocols, especially if there’s some online content that they really, really want to access. In fact, one instance reported in the study was of an employee that performed an online search for “how to bypass network proxy,” and then proceeded to click on the link to access the instructions and successfully pull off their devious plan.

Although, it’s important to keep in mind that not every company security breach is at the hands of a conniving employee. In fact, one of the most effective ways that hackers get employees to bypass network security measures and click on malicious links is by using phishing scams and social engineering tactics via email and social media. Essentially, you can’t assume that every worker knows what to look for and has the ability to spot such a scam. Therefore, it’s always a good move on the business owner’s part to provide network-security related training for their staff.

What’s all of this mean for your business? For starters, it means taking an active role in your company’s network security, especially when it comes to making sure that your staff understands and commits to the ins and outs of security best practices. To that end, k_Street Consulting, LLC can help. We can provide your business with appropriate training materials, as well as provide a remote monitoring service in order to watch your network for threats, which could very well come from employees misusing company resources. We can also equip your business with additional security solutions that will help you sleep at night. To learn more, call us today at (202) 640-2737.