Cyber security: are your staff aware?
We recently came across some research conducted by Norton which got us thinking about just how much people know about some of the basics around cyber security and on-line fraud. Try these simple 4 questions out (and we’ll give you the answers afterwards!):
- Would you be able to identify a phishing email?
- Would you know whether the wi-fi network you’re using is secure or not?
- Do you use a secure password only when you absolutely have to?
- Are ALL of your devices protected with anti-fraud software?
Some of the answers are surprising. 38% aren’t able to spot a dodgy email from a legitimate one. And 77% experienced a ‘negative outcome’ after responding to a potential phishing email.
Particularly relevant where staff use their laptops, tablets and phones when they are out and about, 54% don’t know how to work out whether the wi-fi network they are using is secure. 66% do use secure passwords even when they’re not essential – but 40% have at least one unprotected device. 43% feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to protect on a daily basis.
Most surprising are the groups of people who are most affected by cyber crime. Top of the list are those who we would expect to be most tech-savvy – 36% of Millennials have been affected by cyber crime in the past year, closely followed by 35% of frequent travellers.
Does it really matter though? The total financial cost of cybercrime in 2016 during 2016 came to £1.8 billion. Each consumer spent 11 and a half hours sorting out cyber fraud. These are all showing increases on previous years – the problem isn’t going away, it’s just getting steadily worse.
So what does it mean to the average small business? If you run those 4 questions past each employee, and they can’t answer each positively, then your business is at risk. Perhaps it might be time to consider using some of the training budget?