By Nick Heath, 6 February 2008 17:24
NEWS
Companies are being exposed to risk online by bad behaviour among home workers - from hi-jacking the neighbour's wi-fi to opening unsafe emails.
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The survey of more than 2,000 remote workers and IT managers worldwide, sponsored by Cisco, uncovered a lack of discipline and vigilance among home workers on the internet.
In the UK there is a growing trend for home workers to open unknown or suspicious looking emails - with 48 per cent admitting to doing so, 11 per cent confessing to hi-jacking their neighbour's wi-fi and 22 per cent lending work computers to non-employees.
According to the survey over half of managers reckon their remote workers are becoming less diligent when it comes to security awareness, with the survey recording a four per cent increase in people accessing work files with personal unprotected devices and a three per cent rise in people using work computers for personal reasons.
Cisco's chief security officer John Stewart said in a statement: "While working at home, people tend to let their guard down more than they do at the office."
Stewart said there was a need for companies to educate their employees about essential security practices and policies, and said managing corporate security is part technology, part process, part awareness, education and communication.
He said: "It's often more of a human challenge than a technical one."
Comments
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1. Richard
The problem is "unsafe" email client software rather than "unsafe" emails:
Although the vast majority of Windows users use Microsoft's convenient & highly integrated email clients such as Outlook & Outlook Express;
These can be very risky if not protected by "industrial strength" security - ie. if used outside the office.
Many suspicious emails, even if not immediately deleted by spam filters have "subjects" which are obviously of no interest;
However, others may look doubtful but are actually important.
Dealing with "the public" I often receive emails which have no or only a very vague "subject" and/or come from an unfamiliar address;
I also regularly receive badly constructed emails from "business executives" who really should learn proper IT skills!
So, after doing some checks, it's necessary to "open" these emails in case they're important.
I rely on the "sandbox" provided by my Pegasus email software; other people have other preferences.
So, I'd recommend that all people with poorly protected home computers immediately stop using "unsafe" email clients and change to a "safer" if slightly less convenient alternative.