The HP Wolf Security Blurred Lines & Blindspots report shows how remote work creates a growing cybersecurity risk. The study has the purpose of making organizations prioritize the importance of cybersecurity risk. As most companies continue operating under the remote work model, it’s crucial to ensure the best data protection practices.
The pandemic impacted the way organizations structure their workforce. Remote arrangements, and overall, working from home also affected how organizations secure their data and sensitive information. There are blurred lines between remote work and the office that have made it easier for hackers to take advantage of the situation.
HP Cybersecurity Report: Key Findings
According to the report, 70% of employees surveyed stated that they are using their work devices for their personal tasks. And 69% use their personal laptops and printers for work activities. And 30% of remote employees have also let someone external to the company use their work device.
All these new behaviors are causing companies to experience new vulnerabilities. Overall, remote workers are being highly targeted by hackers. According to KuppingerCole, there has been a 238% increase in global cyberattack volume since the pandemic started.
Joana Burkey, Chief Information Security Officer, commented that because of these blurred lines between working from home and office activities, security risks have significantly increased:
As the lines between work and home have blurred, security risks have soared and everyday actions such as opening an attachment can have serious consequences. Without all of the pre-pandemic sources of visibility of devices, and how they are being used and by who, IT and security teams are working with clouded vision.
These are some of the key findings from the report:
- 76% of remote workers say WFH has blurred the lines between personal and professional lives.
- 27% of remote employees say they ‘had no choice’ when sharing their work devices.
- 54% of ITDMs (Information Technology Decision Makers) saw an increase in phishing, 56% an increase in web browser infections, 45% saw a rise in compromised printers.
- 33% download more from the internet than before the pandemic.
- 27% of respondents use their work device to play games more than before the pandemic.
- 36% use their work device for watching online streaming services.