Lack of employee awareness is top security vulnerability

A lack of employee awareness is the main cause of security vulnerabilities at the workplace, says a new survey.

Seventy percent of respondents who participated in the Deloitte TMT Global Security rated their employees’ lack of security awareness as an “average” or “high” vulnerability. Moreover, introduction of new technologies exacerbate the problem, with 74% recognising the mobile and bring-your-own-device technology trend as a continued concern. 

Without sufficient awareness of security issues, the organisation’s reputation may be on line should employees talk about work in public, respond to phishing emails, or allow unauthorised people into the organisation’s facilities. Coupled with rapid adoption of new technology, businesses gain powerful new capabilities but also introduce new security risks at a faster pace, the study found.

As such, the study suggests that organisations should invest in information security training and awareness for their employees to help mitigate risks from new technologies. “Effective management of information security risks requires a robust combination of prevention, early detection, and rapid response. Being cyber resilient is just as, or even more, important than being cyber secure alone,” said Jacques Buith, Deloitte Global TMT Security and Resilience Leader.

The study was based on interviews with more than 120 technology, media and telecommunication (TMT) security executives of TMT organisations from 38 countries.