Research from Fujitsu has suggested that only 7 per cent of employees rate their business data higher than their personal information. According to the firm the results highlight how employees don’t understand the value of data with over half (52 per cent) of employees admitting that they value their own data more than their work data. In addition, 43 per cent of employees either somewhat or completely agree that they have no idea of the value of business data.
As a result of this, employees are cautious and many choose not to mix personal data and work data. A third of employees agree that they worry more about losing their personal data than their personal data, with an astonishing 89 per cent of consumers admitting that they trust the security of personal emails over work ones.
The research suggests that while over half (58 per cent) of employees understand the risks around identity theft, more needs to be done from both businesses and employees. Only 13 per cent of employees know exactly what security its business has in place and almost a quarter (23 per cent) of employees feel as though their organisation and they themselves could be doing more.
Andy Herrington, Head of Cyber Professional Services at Fujitsu, said: “With three in ten (30 per cent) employees agreeing that they worry more about losing personal data than business data organisations have a challenge on their hands. While there is no quick fix in changing these perceptions the process needs to start with the people. Educating employees about the value of and how to protect their own personal data is a great starting point and businesses will see this data safeguarding attitude trickle through the business, helping employees become part of the threat defence.”
And Robert Arandjelovic, Director of Security Strategy EMEA at Blue Coat Systems, said: “Identity theft is no longer just about stealing identities. While classical identity theft will continue to exist, we are now seeing it being increasingly used as research gathering in social engineering as part of a larger, sophisticated cyber-attack. This allows attackers to assume the identity of key individuals to access corporate networks and take sensitive information.
“The wealth of personal information on social media accelerates the speed of information gathering and makes social engineering easier. Our research shows UK employees should treat social media as cautiously as they treat unsolicited phone calls or emails. To combat this change, businesses should seek to strike a balance between technology and educating employees on the risks of social media.”
