A vast majority of employees are still not adopting workplace cyber security best practices, such as having unique passwords for each individual account and updating their passwords frequently. Despite rapid digital transformation in organisations, the mentality and approach towards cyber security has not changed much. According to SailPoint’s 10th Annual Market Pulse Survey 2018, 75% of users re-use their passwords across different accounts, compared to 54% surveyed in 2014 – indicating a habit that has gotten worse over time.
How many times have you sighed when you receive a notification to update your password or told to attend an IT training on workplace cybersecurity? While the IT department tries to enforce better cyber hygiene at work, most employees (56%) admits that the IT department can be a source of inconvenience and makes their job tougher. Shockingly, almost half of those surveyed would blame the IT department if a cyber attacked occurred. The misalignment of goals and understanding between the two parties will only create more opportunities for cyber attacks.
The survey also compared cyber security practices across different age groups. Now, you would have assumed that the younger generation has the best cyber security practices. However, the report reveals that employees belonging in the 18-25 age group has the worst password habits – 60% of them re-use the same passwords for personal and work accounts compared to 47% from other age groups. With the younger generation gradually taking over majority of the workforce population, organisations will have to find ways to create awareness on cyber hygiene.
What are the new threats facing organisations? One, “real” users will soon be gradually be replaced by software bots powered by robotic process automation (RPA) and granting them the same types of access as their human counterparts. Secondly, organisations are finding it more difficult to locate their most sensitive data as data increases and employees have often have unlimited access.
Today’s employee’s irresponsible password habits add more difficulty in securing an organisation’s assets. Are organisations adopting a robust identity governance strategy? With a comprehensive identity management strategy, organisations are able to monitor user activities, ensure a seamless onboarding for new employees and compliance to regulations such as GDPR or MAS TRM guidelines.
To read the full SailPoint report, click here.
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Written by: Liwen