It appears IT professionals are as guilty of poor cybersecurity practices as the wider workforce, a report from access management firm OneLogin suggests.
Based on a poll of 2,000 remote workers, the report states that IT pros often fail to take their own advice, with many sharing their devices with other members of the household, installing unsolicited applications and leaving devices unattended.
OneLogin found more than a third (37 percent) of IT pros share their work devices with either friends or family, while the same percentage have downloaded personal applications to work computers since the start of the pandemic. More than a quarter (28 percent), meanwhile, have worked on a public and potentially unsecured Wi-Fi network.
Some neglect to update their work device or share their passwords with other people outside their organization, while more than one in six have left their devices unattended, risking all kinds of security incidents, including outright theft.
For Brad Brooks, OneLogin CEO, the results speak to a “wider cultural problem” around conveying the importance of security across the entire company. He says there is a well-documented need for more cross-departmental initiatives between IT and security teams.
“This would help to not only build stronger links between two departments with significant operational overlap, but would also help to foster a more security aware culture in IT departments,” he said.
Ever since the start of the pandemic, security pros have been warning remote workers everywhere that poor security practices may cost their organizations dearly.
