Cyber stress: This is why employees are more worried about their virtual security

Before, when employees wanted privacy at home, they could lock the doors and close the curtains. But the shift to remote work created another window into employees’ private lives, one that is much harder to close.

In 2019, 64% of employees said that data privacy scandals make them worried that their data might be at risk, according to a study conducted by information technology company Accenture. And with most offices having crossed the threshold into completely remote or hybrid work in 2020, the unrest has only worsened.

“Even before going remote, corporate cyber products were under attack,” says Tom Kelly, CEO of data and privacy company IDX. “As soon as you move people into their homes, all these questions come up: How secure is the network? How secure is the connection they're working from in their home? How often have they updated their devices? Are they using more of their own devices?”

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According to research conducted by cybersecurity company Tenable, over half of remote workers use a personal device to access work data. Seventy-one percent of security leaders lack sufficient visibility into these personal devices and home networks, leading to 67% of cyber attacks targeting remote employees.

Before, a chief information security officer’s job was to secure the physical workplace. But what happens when securing the office means finding the means to secure employees’ homes?

“Employees are sitting in their homes — that is where they’re safe,” Kelly says. “But all of a sudden they’re doing all their work there and so if a breach happens now, it not only involves the company and company assets and information. Now if it happens on their device, it's their photos, their banking information, their private emails. So anxiety levels have appropriately risen.”

As a result, at least two-thirds of security leaders plan to increase cybersecurity investments over the next two years, according to Tenable, with nearly 75% citing vulnerability management and cloud security as top priorities.

While this may leave employees’ feeling like their company’s security initiatives are invading more of their personal life, their internet use is now intrinsically linked to a company’s security, Kelly says. It’s critical IT departments adjust and look out for unseen threats, even in employees’ social media usage.

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“[Employees] feel safer on social media because they think those are their friends,” Kelly says. “Clicking on some of those links and downloading some of those things [on the same device they work on] may seem so simple and normal, but inadvertently leads back into the company, making CISOs nervous.”

And without the proper precautions, a data breach could cost a company intellectual property and trade secrets — things that are critical to generating value and competitive positioning for companies — as well as employees’ personal data and information. In 2021, the monetary cost of a data breach was $4.24 million, according to a data breach report by IBM and the Ponemon Institute.

Kelly advises employees and employers to use that anxiety and fear to fuel better practices.

“When you hop into the digital world it's no different than if you travel to a new city or a place you haven't been,” Kelly says. “If you go out somewhere, you're alert to your surroundings — in the digital world, be just as alert and do the obvious things that reduce risk.”