• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
IT Infrastructure, Mobility, Network Security

Report: Remote Work Causes Bad Cybersecurity Habits

To nobody's surprise, hybrid work can introduce poor cybersecurity habits to end users, new report finds.

July 20, 2021 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

Remote Work Cybersecurity
Pixels Hunter/stock.adobe.com

IT professionals have had their hands full with setting up a hybrid work architecture that allows employees to work wherever and whenever they want, and that is unfortunately introducing a lot more cyber risk into the organization.

In fact, a new report from email security company Tessian finds that remote work has had a negative impact on cybersecurity, and more than one third of end users have picked up bad habits and have found security workarounds since working remotely.

Meanwhile, 56% of IT leaders surveyed by the company said they felt their employees picked up bad cybersecurity behaviors since the pandemic.

Tessian’s report also suggests that younger employees aren’t taking cybersecurity as seriously as their older counterparts. According to the data, 51% of users between the ages of 16 and 24 have found security workarounds while working remotely. In each age bracket, that percentage drops as users get older.

For ages between 25 and 34, 46% of employees found security workarounds. For ages between 35 and 44, that number is 35%. For people between the ages of 45 and 54, that figure drops to 23%. For those 55 and older, just 19% said the same.

Read Next: Security, Scalability Top Concerns of Remote Work

When employee are in the office, they tend to practice better cyber hygiene than when at home, the report says. Almost a third of employees say they can get away with riskier behavior while working remotely, and 39% said they practice different cybersecurity behaviors between the two locations.

Nearly a half of respondents said they do so because they feel they are not being watched by the IT department at home.

The report suggests that bringing employees back to the office will improve the organization’s cybersecurity posture, and 70% of IT leaders surveyed feel that way, compared to just 57% of end users.

An alarming number of employees – over one quarter – say they have made cybersecurity mistakes while working from home, but nobody will ever find out. Another 27% said they failed to report those mistakes because of possible disciplinary action, and just half say they always report to IT when they get a phishing email.

If your organization is embracing a hybrid work strategy, now is a good time to evaluate your security posture and train end users on how to avoid these mistakes in the first place.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Cybersecurity, Remote Work

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Software License Spending, SaaS, cloud apps Your Guide to Choosing the Best Cloud Security…
  • IT Budget 2025 Budgeting Tips for IT Pros/CIOs in 2025
  • A close-up of a technician’s hands typing and navigating through troubleshooting steps on a computer in a well-lit office. , natural light, soft shadows, with copy space Five Ways to Reduce Desktop Support Troubleshooting Time

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • Practical Design Guide for Office SpacesPractical Design Guide for Office Spaces

    Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-face time with co-workers. When designing the office spaces — and meeting spaces in particular — enabling that connection between co-workers is crucial. But introducing the right collaboration technology in meeting spaces can […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.