Employees Continue to Engage in Risky Online Behaviors, Study Finds

Every organization has employees, and those employees potentially could be a significant source of security risk. A new Dell-sponsored study of 2,608 IT professionals from around the world conducted by Dimensional Research provides insights into some of the unsafe activities in which users engage. For instance, 72 percent admitted they would share confidential, regulated company information in certain circumstances. Globally, 45 percent of respondents admitted to engaging in unsafe online behavior while at work. Ironically, although users are engaging in risky behaviors at a high rate, 65 percent of respondents said they feel it is their responsibility to protect confidential data. In this slide show, eWEEK takes a look at some of the highlights of the Dell End-User Security Survey.

Across all types of organizations surveyed by Dell, 45 percent of respondents admitted to engaging in unsafe online behavior while at work. The single biggest unsafe behavior is using personal email accounts for confidential work, with 68 percent of users in small to midsize organizations admitting to doing so.

Going a level deeper, 35 percent of respondents said that when leaving a company, it’s common for employees to take some corporate information with them.

The study found that 72 percent of employees would share confidential information in certain circumstances. Forty-three percent admitted they would share sensitive information if directed to do so by management.

Around the world, employees are using corporate-issued devices to access their own personal social media accounts.

Although employees engage in risky behaviors, 65 percent say they feel it is their responsibility to help protect confidential data. Unfortunately, however, few employees (36 percent) feel confident that they have the right skills and knowledge to actually protect sensitive information.

Seventy-six percent of respondents feel that security is a lesser priority at their organization than maximizing employee productivity.

Even though employees around the world admitted throughout the study to engaging in unsafe online behaviors, 63 percent said they were required to complete cyber-security training. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of those who had received the cyber-security training admitted to engaging unsafe behaviors just so they could get their job done.