Forced to work from home without in-person access to information, minimal human interaction and limited IT support, “disrupted employees” have no choice but to utilize unprotected home networks and personal devices often shared by family members. Burdened by new layers of stress caused by the pandemic and greater pressure to get the job done, they are unaware of the cybersecurity risk of searching, downloading and sharing content including company intellectual property. The distractions that come from a work-from-home environment can also derail important habits critical to cybersecurity — using strong passwords, maintaining digital hygiene, patching computers and updating mobile software.
While more than 70% of companies surveyed by Malwarebytes scored themselves high for their readiness to transition employees to work from home, nearly half admitted to not providing cybersecurity training about potential threats. And yet, study after study shows that the overwhelming majority of cyber breaches share one variable in common: human error. Whether failing to install software security updates, not knowing the risks of public Wi-Fi networks or giving up sensitive information to phishing emails, no amount of sophisticated anti-malware, spam filters or detection software can protect against human error.