Security News > 2022 > April > Making security mistakes may come with a high price for employees

Tessian reveals that one in four employees lost their job in the last 12 months, after making a mistake that compromised their company's security.

36% of employees have made a mistake at work that compromised security and fewer are reporting their mistakes to IT. When asked why these mistakes happened, half of employees said they had sent emails to the wrong person because they were under pressure to send the email quickly - up from 34% reported by Tessian in its 2020 study - while over two-fifths of respondents cited distraction and fatigue as reasons for falling for phishing attacks.

More employees attributed their mistakes to fatigue and distraction in the past year, versus figures reported in 2020, likely brought on by the shift to hybrid working.

Employees are fearful of reporting security mistakes.

With harsher consequences in place, fewer employees are reporting their mistakes to IT. 21% said they didn't report security incidents, versus 16% in 2020, resulting in security teams having less visibility of threats in the organization.

"Security leaders need to create a culture that builds trust and confidence among employees and improves security behaviors, by providing people with the support and information they need to make safe decisions at work."

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/04/01/employees-security-mistake/