New research shows that an overwhelming majority (90%) of employees use their company-issued laptops for personal activities, which can pose a serious cybersecurity risk.
ESET’s research shows that a significant portion of employees also engage in risky activities with their corporate hardware, including viewing adult content, gambling, visiting the dark web and illegally streaming sports matches.
ESET attributes the shift to hybrid and remote working to the added pressure on security teams. According to ESET, companies should consider implementing more robust security measures to remotely manage corporate devices while also training their employees.
Business laptops for personal use
The research found that two-thirds (63%) of respondents accessed the so-called ‘dark web’ via their work laptops weekly, and 17% daily.
Men are most often blamed for visiting the dark web, while younger workers aged 16-24 are more likely to connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks and use personal USB devices.
“We often hear that ‘employees are the weakest link in security’ and endpoint protection may not be the first thing people think about, which can cause issues when switching between work and personal devices,” said Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET.
Moore acknowledged the benefits of hybrid and remote work environments for work-life balance, but stressed that companies need to implement better cybersecurity processes.
Despite the clear dangers of personal use and the benefits of remote management software, one in three (36%) feel their boss views their personal activities as a violation of privacy.
Additionally, around one in five (18%) do not have cybersecurity software on their work devices and a further 7% are unsure whether their device is adequately secured.
As hybrid working becomes more common and the lines between work and personal life become increasingly blurred, it is becoming increasingly clear that companies need to impose stricter regulations to protect both sensitive company information and employees.