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HP Inc. Study Shows Growing Cyber Security Risk Driven by Remote Working

HP Inc. has released its HP Wolf Security Blurred Lines & Blindspots Report, a comprehensive global study assessing organisational cyber risk in an era of remote work.

The report shows that changing work styles and behaviours are creating new vulnerabilities for companies, individuals, and their data. According to the findings, 70% of office workers surveyed admit to using their work devices for personal tasks, while 69% are using personal laptops or printers for work activities. Almost one-third (30%) of remote workers surveyed have let someone else use their work device.

As a result of these and other behaviours, home workers are increasingly being targeted by hackers. KuppingerCole, an international, independent analyst firm that contributed to HP’s report, notes there has been a 238% increase in global cyberattack volume during the pandemic.

“As the lines between work and home have blurred, security risks have soared and everyday actions such as opening an attachment can have serious consequences,” comments Joanna Burkey, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), HP Inc. “Without all of the pre-pandemic sources of visibility of devices, and how they are being used and by who, IT and security teams are working with clouded vision.”

HP’s report coincides with the launch of HP Wolf Security, the company’s newly integrated portfolio of secure by design PCs and printers, hardware-enforced endpoint security software, and endpoint security services. The study provides a multi-dimensional view by combining findings from: a global YouGov online survey of 8,443 office workers; a global survey of 1,100 IT Decision Makers (ITDMs), conducted by Toluna; real-world threat telemetry gathered from customers within HP Sure Click Virtual Machines; and analysis from KuppingerCole.

Key findings include:

  • 76% of office workers surveyed say working from home during COVID-19 has blurred the lines between their personal and professional lives.
  • 27% of office workers surveyed say they know they are not meant to share work devices but felt they ‘had no choice’ – yet 85% of ITDMs worry such behaviour increases their company’s risk of a security breach.
  • Half of office workers say they now see their work devices as a personal device, while 84% of ITDMs worry such behaviour increases their company’s risk of a security breach.
  • Over the past year: 54% of ITDMs saw an increase in phishing; 56% an increase in web browser-related infections; 44% saw compromised devices being used to infect the wider business; while 45% saw an increase in compromised printers being used as an attack point.

Author

  • Polly is a journalist, content creator and general opinion holder from North Wales. She has written for a number of publications, usually hovering around the topics of fintech, tech, lifestyle and body positivity.

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