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What is the story
A recent study by ESET found that a staggering 90% of employees use their company laptops for personal activities, exposing them to significant cybersecurity risks.
The investigation also found that many of these employees are conducting risky activities on their business hardware.
These activities include gambling, watching adult content, accessing the dark web, and illegally streaming sporting events.
Hybrid working model exacerbates challenges
The shift to a hybrid and remote work model has increased the pressure on security teams.
ESET suggests that companies implement more robust security measures to remotely manage corporate devices while educating their employees about potential risks.
The survey found that 63% of respondents accessed the dark web weekly using their work laptops, and 17% did so daily.
Younger workers are more vulnerable to risks
The study also found that men were primarily responsible for accessing the darknet.
The study found that younger employees, ages 16 to 24, are more likely to connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks and use personal USB devices on their work laptops.
Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, stressed that, especially in light of these findings, better cybersecurity processes are needed in companies.
Data protection concerns and lack of cybersecurity measures
Despite the obvious risks of using work laptops for private purposes, one in three (36%) employees would consider their boss monitoring their private activities to be an invasion of their privacy.
The study also found that about one in five (18%) do not have cybersecurity software installed on their work device.
Another 7% were unsure whether their device was adequately protected or not.
