The Majority Employees Don’t Know Best Cybersecurity Practices

The Majority Employees Don't Know Best Cybersecurity Practices

According to a new study, 70 percent of employees cannot grasp web security and privacy.

It should be no surprise by no that cyber threats are the top threats against companies these days. As established in the past, employees are your weakest links when it comes to cybersecurity and a recent study has only found more evidence to prove this is true.

The 2017 State of Privacy and Security Awareness Report surveyed over 1,000 workers in the United States and found that the vast majority of them lacked a basic understanding of how cybersecurity or digital privacy impacted their company. In the end, 70 percent of those who were surveyed failed when it came to security and best practices at work.

The 1,012 workers were given a 31 question survey and then, based on their answers, were given a ranking of Risk, Novice or Hero. Nineteen percent of the surveyed workers scored a 74 percent or below putting them in the “Risk” category. These individuals are described as those who are most likely to put their organization at risk for a privacy or security incident.

Fifty-one percent of the workers scored 77-94 percent on the survey and were categorized as “Novice” which “have a good understanding of the basics, but could stand to learn more.” These novices represent the majority of workers in the United States, and show that more training and constant information sharing on privacy techniques could go a long way to remind workers that one wrong move could change everything.

Fortunately, 30 percent of the workers scored in the “Hero” category. MediaPro, the leader of the survey, described these workers as “individuals who know their stuff, including how to identify and properly dispose of personal information, recognize phishing attempts and malware and keep information safe while working remotely.”

The good news is that MediaPro believes things are only looking up. Compared to the year before, there was a 3% increase in Risk employees, a 21 percent decrease in Novice employees and a 18 percent increase in Hero employees.

Only education can help companies now. Is your company working to ensure your employees are cybersecurity Heroes?

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.