As a growing number of organizations transition from fully remote workforces, a new report examined security habits of post-pandemic workforces. The study, produced by UK-based Tessian, found that 56% of IT professionals believe employees have picked up poor security habits while working from home.
The human layer security provider surveyed perspectives of 4,000 working professionals and 200 IT decision makers in the US and UK. As many as nine out of ten workplaces will maintain a hybrid model going forward, the report said. The trend points to a need for a shift in security priorities and new approaches to cybersecurity in the new reality.
The majority of IT leaders polled expect phishing emails (67%) and ransomware attacks (69%) will increase in a hybrid workplace.
The report noted several areas of concern, including a belief among 30% of workers that they can get away with risker cyber behavior when working from home. Among young employees surveyed, 42% admitted to cybersecurity errors while working from home that they believe will never be discovered.
These challenges are not without countermeasures. A majority of workers across the industries surveyed believe cybersecurity professionals are involved in the decision process when reopening offices. Among employees in the finance sector, 72% of those surveyed share this perspective. This view lines up with the 67% of IT decision makers surveyed who said they have a say in their company’s reopening plans.
Tessian encourages a “human layer security” approach to the changing workplace. If workers are an active part in the solution, then companies can build a “security culture” that allows for earlier threat prevention and that reduces workers’ coverup of mistakes for fear of punishment.
