According to a study by CyberArk, an identity safety vendor, more than 60% of Australian employees confess to circumventing their employer’s cybersecurity protocols in pursuit of convenience. Numerous employees use their personal devices for work purposes without adequate security measures in place.
According to a survey conducted in October 2024, involving 14,003 employees across the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and Singapore, it was found that Australian staff tend to adhere more closely to cybersecurity protocols compared to other countries.
Despite the importance of cyber insurance, many organizations are still opting out of these policies to simplify their operations. CyberArk’s investigation revealed that many Australian employees frequently employed creative workarounds, including the widespread practice of using the same password across multiple accounts, utilizing personal devices as WiFi hotspots, and redirecting company emails to their private inboxes.
According to CyberArk’s CEO Matt Cohen, the report reveals that high-risk access points are dispersed throughout every job function, thereby increasing the risk of potential threats.
Australian authorities are cracking down on the use of personal devices for official work, citing concerns over security and data breaches. The government has issued guidelines stating that sensitive or classified information must not be accessed or stored on personal electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This move is aimed at ensuring the integrity of confidential information and preventing unauthorized access.
A staggering 80% of Australian employees access office systems and sensitive business data from personal devices lacking robust security measures, according to a revealing CyberArk report. The fee for non-public machine utilization has surged significantly above the global average of 60%.
According to a recent study, advertising departments were found to be the most likely (94%) group to utilize personal devices for work-related activities, followed closely by IT teams with a percentage of 93%. Notably, more than half (52%) of new employees already possessed.
Australian companies are lagging behind in upgrading their machinery safety as governments and industries globally increasingly prioritise worker well-being.
In a concerning trend, Australian employees have been found to be among the most sluggish worldwide in installing software updates and security patches on both personal and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) devices once they are released by vendors?
Globally, nearly four in ten employees (36%) reported not promptly installing security patches and software updates on their personal devices. Furthermore, with a staggering 26%, the threat of cyberattacks is escalating at an alarming rate.
Attackers’ entry into actions worthwhile widespread amongst staff.
The report found that unfettered access to key procedures enables numerous non-authorized personnel to undertake actions that could potentially be:
- Around four in ten global respondents regularly acquire customer data.
- A significant 33% possess the authority to modify sensitive or pivotal details.
- Up to 30% of accounts are authorized to process significant financial transactions.
Australian employees struggle to kick bad password habits
Password reuse was alarmingly common worldwide. The employee engagement survey revealed that nearly half (49%) of participants utilised. In Australia, a staggering 33% of employees choose to reuse the same login credentials for both personal and professional purposes across various service providers.
According to a survey, nearly four in ten employees worldwide (41%) have disclosed work-related confidential information at external events, thus significantly increasing the risk of security breaches, as warned by CyberArk.
Productivity is often prioritized over robust cybersecurity measures globally.
As a result, workers worldwide often choose to circumvent cybersecurity measures to avoid inconvenience. According to a recent survey conducted by CyberArk among international respondents:
- Twenty percent of users had been using their personal devices as makeshift Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Many customers (18%) are deterred from using the feature to put in and replace something because it takes too long.
- Approximately 18% of employees often opt to use personal devices instead of those provided by the company.
- Companies email 17% more effectively to non-public email accounts.
Australian staff rarely follow guidelines for using AI tools
According to recent findings, more than two-thirds (66%) of Australian employees have been found to be leveraging artificial intelligence tools. Despite this, CyberArk requires that workers place sensitive information in a secure manner?
A significant proportion of Australian staff have acknowledged using unauthorised and unmonitored artificial intelligence tools, with approximately one-quarter admitting to this practice.
According to a survey, nearly a third (one-third) of Australian employees admit that they either solely disregard or never follow guidelines when handling sensitive information while using artificial intelligence tools.
Information Technology (IT) and safety executives recommend best practices to information staff.
Thomas Fikentscher, CyberArk’s senior vice president for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), cautions that post-authentication breaches are becoming increasingly prevalent as Australian organisations continue to migrate their workflows to the cloud. Organisations should refrain from relying solely on multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect against fraudulent activities.
CyberArk’s report underscores the value of empowering employees through innovative solutions, rather than stifling productivity with unnecessary constraints. As AI adoption accelerates rapidly, cybersecurity leaders must acknowledge the permanence of this trend and that.
