Cybersecurity and Employee Data Sharing

By Carolyn Schrader

Employee data sharing is still a cybersecurity weak link at small businesses

Statistics show us that businesses still have a challenge with cybersecurity behavior of their

employees. A Dell End-User Security Survey discovered that for small businesses:

 54% of employees connected to public Wi-Fi to access confidential work

 68% used personal email accounts for confidential work

 22% lost a company-issued work device

All these behaviors can cause cybersecurity breaches for a small business. Hackers can easily access your

network while an employee is connected to a public Wi-Fi. Most personal emails are not as secure as business

email network so the opportunity for a hacker to gather confidential information on your employees or customers is

greater. A lost device can be easily hacked by a cybercriminal.

The survey also found that 55% of US employees use a company issued device to access social media at work.

Those entertaining surveys that people like to complete on social media may be sponsored by a cybercriminal that

is gathering information about your employees, their associates and your company. A question asking who you

admire most in your organization may be a way to identify other internal targets. Several seemingly innocuous

questions may together create a summary for a hacker that he can leverage with other data he has collected.

Many employees want to do what is right for their company, but 21% feel IT security measures slow down their

productivity. Employees feel the pressure to be efficient vs be cyber safe.

And potentially even more concerning is the survey discovered that more than one in three people said it is

common to take confidential information with them when they leave a company. Your network, your customers, and

your employees may be at risk when a former employee takes confidential information with them.

When asked if employees feel they fully understand how to keep sensitive company data safe, less than 40%

agreed. That leaves over 60% feeling they don’t fully understand.

What can businesses do? Continued tailored education is needed. The Dell survey recommends that companies

develop scenarios in their training that provide specific guidance on how to handle various situations.

Cybercriminals continue to try new approaches to gather personal confidential information and to intrude into your

network. Help your staff learn about new techniques used by the cybercriminals and defenses your employees can

use. Make it realistic, make it personal and make it current.