A new cybersecurity survey has shed light on the staggering lack of awareness among employees regarding recent major cyberattacks, and a disregard for basic security hygiene.
Commissioned by security vendor Armis, the survey of over 2000 respondents from across the US captures their cavalier outlook on the threats affecting operational technology and critical infrastructure across the country.
Over 21% of respondents said they were unware about the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, and almost half (45%) hadn’t heard about the tampering of Florida’s water supply.
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In light of these revelations, Armis suggests that businesses must take it upon themselves to prioritize security as employees return to the office.
“Organizations must be able to know what they have, track behavior, identify threats, and immediately take action to protect the safety and security of their operations,” said Curtis Simpson, CISO at Armis.
Business responsibility
Armis data suggests that, in the past year, 65,000 ransomware attacks occurred in the US, which translates to about seven every hour.
Unlike large enterprises that have dedicated teams of security personnel, it is small and medium business (SMBs) that bear the brunt of malicious campaigns. Most aren’t insured against cyberattacks and also lack the manpower and resources to fend off and recover from security incidents.
Digesting the data, Armis suggests that SMBs must think critically about security as employees return to the office, and weave it into the company’s everyday practices.
This is particularly important as the survey reveals that the majority (71%) of employees intend to bring their work from home devices back to the office, since a good number (54%) don’t believe their personal devices pose any security risk to their workplace.
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