There has been new research that has uncovered an unexpected twist in the tale of cyber security risks – your tech savvy younger employees may be your biggest vulnerability.

More than 6,500 employees across the globe were surveyed, with an almost equal representation of demographics. The results were rather alarming. The study found that younger office workers, those 40 or under, are more likely to disregard standard password safety guidelines. Shocking isn’t it! It gets worse though, 34% admitted to using their birth dates as passwords, compared to just 19% of those over 40.

The habit of using the same password across multiple devices was also more prevalent among younger workers, with 38% admitting to doing this. Phishing scams, also need to be considered. A whopping 23% of the younger demographic didn’t report the last phishing attempt they received

While ransomware and phishing were acknowledged as critical threats by 23% and 22% of employees respectively, the overall attitude towards cyber security leaves something to be desired. A staggering number of those surveyed revealed that their organisations did NOT provide any mandatory cyber security training.

From the US (30%) to the UK (17%), Netherlands (32%), Japan (35%), India (31%), Germany (22%), France (43%), Australia (29%) and China (65%) – the numbers speak for themselves.

So, is it really our young workforce that is to blame? It is clear that businesses are not doing enough to equip their employees with the necessary cyber security skills.

We believe that it is time to stop treating cyber security as an afterthought and start investing in regular cyber awareness training for everyone in our business. We mean EVERYONE, not just the tech team or the executives, but every single employee.

It isn’t just about protecting your business; it is about creating a safer digital world for us all.

If you would like any help or advice then get in touch!

Here is another article you might enjoy