Auxilion survey reveals almost a third of office workers use their work device for personal use

Auxilion, the leading Irish IT managed services provider, has announced the results of its latest survey which reveals that almost a third (31%) of office workers in Ireland use their work device for personal use.

The survey of 1,000 office workers in Ireland was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Auxilion and HPE. The research identifies several risky behaviours among office workers that has the potential to put cybersecurity at risk. One common behaviour includes clicking on a suspicious link or email at work, cited by 32% of respondents. One in five (22%) also admitted to using public wi-fi to access sensitive company documents.

Over a quarter (26%) have input sensitive company or customer data into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool. In addition, a third (33%) have used unauthorised tools to get their work done faster. Despite these behaviours, the majority of office workers (73%) are confident in their ability to spot a potential cyber threat.

Password protection was also highlighted as an area for concern, with almost a fifth (19%) of office workers admitting to sharing their work password with friends and family. A further 14% have used the same password for both work and personal accounts. While over half of respondents (54%) feel confident in their password security, one in ten do not.

As such, it may come as no surprise that 23% organisations have suffered a cybersecurity breach in the last 12 months. This was highest among the public sector at 28%. In addition, 23% of office workers admitted that they did not report a known security breach (i.e. where a cybersecurity attack was successful).

With the prevalence of high-risk behaviours among office workers, over half (55%) of companies have run simulated phishing tests to raise awareness about cybersecurity.

Despite this, a quarter (25%) of respondents believe their organisation does not have adequate security and data loss prevention measures in place. A third (32%) of office workers also revealed they do not receive regular cybersecurity training from their employer.

Martin Patterson, Head of Innovation, Auxilion said: “While it’s unsurprising that many employees use work devices for personal tasks, our survey highlights a far greater concern – the ease with which everyday actions, such as opening a link in an email or using AI tools, can expose organisations to security risks.

“Human behaviour remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities in cybersecurity. That’s why investing in ongoing training and building a culture of awareness are just as important as having the right technology in place. By equipping employees with the knowledge to spot and avoid potential threats, businesses can strengthen their first line of defence.”

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