Survey reveals 75% of UK businesses think that remote workers pose a greater threat to IT security than office workers

In a survey of UK cyber security, IT and business professionals commissioned by WatchGuard Technologies, 75% of respondents believe that remote workers pose a greater IT security risk to their business than office workers. This heightened level of threat as most companies return to a mix of home and office working post pandemic, contributes to the massive 83% of respondents who feel that cyber attacks on their business will increase over the next 12 months.

When it comes to identifying specific threats, phishing attacks are still at the top of the list, followed closely by ransomware. Over half of the organisations polled said that they had experienced an end-point attack targeted at end-user computers and mobile devices over the last 12 months.

With IT teams under increasing pressure to make sure their systems are safe from attack, many are facing major challenges. The WatchGuard survey reveals that budget and having the right skills are the two biggest barriers to improving security. Faced with these restrictions, the survey also asked about the potential impact of a breach. While the loss of revenue is seen as a major concern, respondents see the main threats to their businesses as loss of customer trust, damage to the brand and potential compliance or regulatory consequences.

“Cybercriminals will always find new and inventive ways to mount their attacks and exploit the weakest links and target employees when they are most vulnerable,” said Jon-Marc Wilkinson, Sales Director UK & Ireland at WatchGuard Technologies. “The survey reveals that home workers are at most risk and that increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques are the most popular way to gain a ‘foot in the door’ into corporate networks. With budgets and skills in short supply, it is more important than ever for companies to spend their money wisely on technology that will help protect users and their endpoint devices – wherever they are – and is easy to deploy and manage.”