A recent study from IBM Security, focusing on security risks and behaviors of those working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 global pandemic, found security policies and support lacking for at-home workers. According to the survey, more than 80 percent of respondents have either rarely or never worked from home before the pandemic, yet many have not received guidance for doing so.
“Working from home is going to be a long-lasting reality within many organizations, and the security assumptions we once relied on in our traditional offices may not be enough as our workforce transitions to new, less controlled surroundings,” said Charles Henderson, Global Partner and Head of IBM X-Force Red.
In the study, more than half (53 percent) of respondents reported using their own personal laptops or computers for business while working from home. And, although 47 percent said they were very or somewhat concerned about cybersecurity risks, 45 percent said their employer had not provided tools to properly secure their devices.
The findings also raise concerns about secure data handling, particularly in regard to personally identifiable information (PII). According to the survey, more than half of respondents “have not been provided with new guidelines on how to handle highly regulated PII while working from home. This is despite more than 42 percent of people who manage PII as part of their regular jobs now doing so at home.”
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