US Employees Feel Little Concern for Data Theft at Work, New Research Reveals

PRESS RELEASE

LAVAL, QC, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Terranova Security, a global leader in security awareness training, is today launching a report that showcases the level of cyber security awareness among workers in the United States. Overall, the research uncovered that U.S. businesses still aren't doing enough to protect their organizations from cyber threats by not providing proper cyber awareness training and education.

In collaboration with research company Ipsos, Terranova Security surveyed 1,500 U.S. employees and found that the level of concern over cyber risks was alarmingly low. Just over a third (35%) of employees express little-to-no concern about data theft at work, and 20% believe they can't be targeted at all by cyber criminals.

The research shows there is still confusion among employees over who is responsible for protecting company data, despite human error being the cause of 95% of cyber issues. More than three-quarters (76%) of U.S. employees believe it's the IT department's responsibility to protect company data, compared to just 53% who understand they play an essential role.

These findings come at a time when the danger from a breach is at an all-time high. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 294 million people were impacted by data breaches in 2021.

The research highlights that U.S. businesses are failing to provide employees with enough education on common cyber threats and security best practices. Only 41% of employees say they work in a company where cyber security awareness training is mandatory. 43% haven't participated in any cyber security training, and nearly a third (31%) indicated that their company doesn't offer any relevant training at all.

These low training rates aren't due to a lack of interest from employees, as 77% believe cyber security training is interesting, and 57% have started or completed the training when it's offered to them.

"The research shows that there's some work to do on educating people about the important role they play in protecting data at work, but the responsibility doesn't just fall on them," said Theo Zafirakos, Chief Information Security Officer, Terranova Security. "It's clear that security awareness training fell by the wayside for many American businesses, even though cyber crime is rising, and that's a concern. But employees also have an appetite for learning more about it. These people are the first line of defense against any cyber attack. By investing more in education and building a culture around data security within the business, companies will set up a powerful barrier against any cyber threats."

Read the full Ipsos report and learn more about Terranova Security here.

About Terranova Security

Terranova Security, part of the HelpSystems solution ecosystem, has been transforming the world's end users into cyber heroes for more than 20 years. Using a proven pedagogical framework, Terranova Security training solutions empower organizations worldwide to implement programs that change user behaviors, reduce the human risk factor, and build a security-aware organizational culture. As a result, any employee can better understand phishing, social engineering, data privacy, compliance, and other critical best practices. With the addition of new features like its Content Hub and Security Awareness Index, Terranova Security consistently innovates to support all organizations' cyber-security objectives. These industry-leading solution additions also strengthen long-term information security for all professionals, regardless of region or sector, in an era where remote work and borderless productivity are standard. Learn more at terranovasecurity.com.

About IPSOS

Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data coming from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

"Game Changers" – our tagline – summarises our ambition to help our 5,000 clients to navigate more easily our deeply changing world.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).