Avast, a supplier of digital security and privacy products, made a survey of over two thousand office workers in the United States and the United Kingdom. The results show a general misconception of cyber security and a need for improved awareness and training.
Some of the findings:
- Almost 40% of small business employees think they would be held personally responsible for a data breach if they unknowingly clicked on a malicious link. This leads them to keep quiet instead of reporting a threat. The message must be that mistakes can be tolerated, but not a cover up.
- Less than 18% of employees know that ignoring updates to applications leaves them vulnerable to cyber attack. Automatic updates can eliminate this.
- Over 65% of employees think large businesses are more vulnerable to cyber attack than small ones. While large data breaches get publicity,small organizations are usually less well equipped to handle a breach or survive the impact.
Avast has developed an online cybersecurity quiz (at https://www.avast.com) and an explanation of cyber attacks and challenges. Their survey shows the need for better education and training