Nearly Half Of UK Businesses Admit Current Cybersecurity Policies Are Not Fit For Home-Working

Career Climbers / 29th June 2020

Almost half (48 per cent) of business decision makers have admitted that their existing cybersecurity policies are currently not suitable for maintaining a 100 per cent remote working model. This increased risk has led to nearly two thirds (65 per cent) anticipating an increase in phishing and breach attempts, according to a new survey from Centrify, a leading provider of Identity-Centric privileged access management (PAM) solutions.

The survey, conducted by independent polling provider Censuswide on behalf of Centrify, polled 200 senior decision makers in large-and medium-sized businesses on how they are adapting to the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak.

In response to concerns, three-quarters (75 per cent) of those surveyed revealed that they have issued formal guidance or training to staff on how to operate securely whilst working from home. Similarly, 50 per cent are planning to hire in new IT staff or security experts to improve security processes.

Andy Heather, VP, Centrify comments:

“Acknowledging the security issues posed by remote working is essential during this difficult time. Unfortunately, remote workers, including third-party contractors, have been deemed a desirable target by hackers and cyber criminals who are assuming that these employees have not been properly trained in, or protected by, the correct security measures in their transition to remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“However, it’s promising to see that so many businesses have adjusted security policies in response to this threat and are still considering bolstering security and IT staff. Fortunately, overhauling cybersecurity policy and procedure does not have to be overly strenuous or expensive – instead, it requires a cohesive effort from all colleagues and employees, strong password hygiene, including the use of Multi-Factor Authentication, and an Identity-Centric privileged access management solution to protect company data from breaches.”