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Analyst Corner
Singapore Workers Risk Security
Despite a cavalier attitude to computer security, workers are unwilling to shoulder the blame for the consequences according to global research released by SurfControl, a provider of IT security solutions. Conducted by Australian researcher Dr Monica Whitty of Queen’s University Belfast, the five-country SurfControl Trust & Risk in the Workplace Study of 1000 workers found 53 per cent of employees would blame the boss if their identity was stolen following a breach on their machine.
“Almost two thirds of our sample (64 per cent) would blame their employer if confidential data was stolen from their work computers,” Whitty said. “Given security breaches and careless mistakes can lead to the loss or theft of confidential information, employers should be extra cautious when it comes to protecting confidential data.” Across all risky activities surveyed, laptop users took more risks than their deskbound colleagues. Compounding the risk, eight in ten laptop users access the Internet from potentially insecure networks outside the office. The study also revealed almost one in five mobile workers in the USA had downloaded porn on their laptop, more than double the number in Australia (8 per cent) and The Netherlands (3 per cent). “Businesses can’t afford to think that out of sight is out of mind,” said Dr Richard Cullen, the Melbourne-based Chairman of SurfControl’s global Technology Strategy Council. “The findings should be a warning to all employers. The mobile workforce is only set to grow as laptop prices fall.”
The Trust & Risk in the Workplace Study found Internet banking was most popular in the Asia Pacific, with 71 per cent of Singaporeans and 63 per cent of Australians logging into their accounts at work, compared to only 46 per cent of Dutch workers. In Australia, mobile workers were more likely to use USB keys (84 per cent) than desktop users (71 per cent) and were also more likely to use instant messaging (44 per cent) compared to desktop users (34 per cent).
Averaged across desktop and laptop users, Singaporean workers had the highest risk profile in most categories, including using USB keys (86 per cent), downloading music (35 per cent) and playing online games (33 per cent). They were also the top instant messengers (67 per cent) by a margin of 34 per cent more than The Netherlands. Each risky activity surveyed in the Trust & Risk in the Workplace Study has the potential to introduce unwanted content into the network, compromise legal liability or expose confidential information.
Cullen said the research highlighted the importance of applying a consistent security strategy across all employees, no matter where or how they accessed the corporate network. The first step for organisations is ensuring the corporate usage policy is current and relevant to both desktop users and mobile workers, and that employees understand the importance of the guidelines in place. By layering security solutions across multiple network entry points, organisations can deflect malicious and unwanted content while also exercising granular control of employee usage policies.
“Almost two thirds of our sample (64 per cent) would blame their employer if confidential data was stolen from their work computers,” Whitty said. “Given security breaches and careless mistakes can lead to the loss or theft of confidential information, employers should be extra cautious when it comes to protecting confidential data.” Across all risky activities surveyed, laptop users took more risks than their deskbound colleagues. Compounding the risk, eight in ten laptop users access the Internet from potentially insecure networks outside the office. The study also revealed almost one in five mobile workers in the USA had downloaded porn on their laptop, more than double the number in Australia (8 per cent) and The Netherlands (3 per cent). “Businesses can’t afford to think that out of sight is out of mind,” said Dr Richard Cullen, the Melbourne-based Chairman of SurfControl’s global Technology Strategy Council. “The findings should be a warning to all employers. The mobile workforce is only set to grow as laptop prices fall.”
The Trust & Risk in the Workplace Study found Internet banking was most popular in the Asia Pacific, with 71 per cent of Singaporeans and 63 per cent of Australians logging into their accounts at work, compared to only 46 per cent of Dutch workers. In Australia, mobile workers were more likely to use USB keys (84 per cent) than desktop users (71 per cent) and were also more likely to use instant messaging (44 per cent) compared to desktop users (34 per cent).
Averaged across desktop and laptop users, Singaporean workers had the highest risk profile in most categories, including using USB keys (86 per cent), downloading music (35 per cent) and playing online games (33 per cent). They were also the top instant messengers (67 per cent) by a margin of 34 per cent more than The Netherlands. Each risky activity surveyed in the Trust & Risk in the Workplace Study has the potential to introduce unwanted content into the network, compromise legal liability or expose confidential information.
Cullen said the research highlighted the importance of applying a consistent security strategy across all employees, no matter where or how they accessed the corporate network. The first step for organisations is ensuring the corporate usage policy is current and relevant to both desktop users and mobile workers, and that employees understand the importance of the guidelines in place. By layering security solutions across multiple network entry points, organisations can deflect malicious and unwanted content while also exercising granular control of employee usage policies.
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