Gen Z, Millennial Workers Are Bigger Cybersecurity Risks Than Older EmployeesGen Z, Millennial Workers Are Bigger Cybersecurity Risks Than Older Employees
Younger workers surveyed are less likely to follow established business cybersecurity protocols than their Gen X and baby boomer counterparts, a new survey finds.

A new survey shows Generation Z and millennials, younger workers who have grown up as digital natives, are surprisingly more careless about their employer's cybersecurity than their senior Gen X and baby boomer colleagues.
According to Ernst & Young LLP's 2022 Human Risk in Cybersecurity survey, although 83% of workers in the US report they understand their company's cybersecurity policies, younger Gen Z and millennial workers are less likely to comply with them.
For instance, 48% of Gen Z and 39% of millennial employees confessed to being more cautious with their own devices compared to their work-issued devices; they also admitted to widely disregarding IT updates; reusing passwords for personal and professional accounts; and accepting browser cookies in far greater numbers than Gen X or baby boomer workers.
"This research should be a wake-up call for security leaders, CEOs and boards because the vast majority of cyber incidents trace back to a single individual," Tapan Shah, EY Americas' consulting cybersecurity leader, said in a statement. "There is an immediate need for organizations to restructure their security strategy with human behavior at the core. Human risk must be at the top of the security agenda, with a focus on understanding employee behaviors and then building proactive cybersecurity systems and a culture that educates, engages, and rewards everyone in the enterprise."
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