IT security education needed

Nearly 50% of security issues occur because of employee negligence in the workplace, and incidents occur at least once a week, a new report said.

Source: ISS Source

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A reported 96% of IT professionals said they do not trust their end users to make good IT security decisions, and with 48% of employees causing security issues at least once a week, it comes as no surprise, a Sophos study said.

Sophos surveyed 150 IT professionals from around the globe on employee IT usage behavior and it showed 26% of respondents said that senior management commits the worst IT security issues, and 19% said IT professionals themselves commit serious security problems.

These findings suggest a lack of employee understanding of security policies throughout an organization, and the affect this can have on a business’ IT infrastructure.

“Creating a comprehensive security policy is difficult enough without having employees accidentally subverting the protocols we have in place,” said Damian Barry, president of Global Business Technology.

“However, taking the time to create an all-encompassing educational campaign can be too time consuming,” he said.

Sophos is developing a program to aid IT professional in teaching other employees called the IT Security Dos and DON’Ts.

Employee security negligence can change by using educational programs and tools, which can assist IT professionals in teaching colleagues about the practice of good IT security, said Mark Harris, vice president of Sophos security.