Recent research has unveiled an unexpected twist in the world of cybersecurity risks - your tech-savvy younger employees might be your most significant vulnerability.

Surprised? Let’s dive into the details.

Over 6,500 employees across the globe were surveyed, with a nearly equal demographic representation. The survey exposed some alarming trends.

The study highlights a tendency among younger office workers, specifically those aged 40 or under, to neglect standard password safety guidelines. Astonishingly, 34% of respondents in this demographic admitted to using their birth dates as passwords, compared to the 19% observed among those over 40.

The issue extends beyond the content of their passwords, with 38% of younger workers acknowledging the habit of using the same password across multiple devices.

And it doesn’t stop there.

When it comes to phishing scams, a staggering 23% of the younger demographic did not report the last phishing attempt they recieved. Why, you might ask? “I didn’t think it was important”.

But surely they understand the gravity of security threats against business security, right? Well, not really. Despite the acknowledgment of ransomware (23%) and phishing (22%) as critical threats by a subset of employees, the overall attitude toward cybersecurity appears lacklustre.

Training might be a piece of the puzzle. A significant number of respondents indicated that their organizations do NOT provide any mandatory cybersecurity training. From the US (30%) to the UK (17%), Netherlands (32%), Japan (35%), India (31%), Germany (22%), France (43%), Australia (29%) and China (65%) – the numbers speak for themselves.

So, can we solely blame the young workforce when it’s evident that businesses aren’t adequately equipping their employees with essential cybersecurity skills?

It’s high time we stopped to treating cybersecurity as an afterthought and instead invested in regular cyber awareness training for everyone in our businesses. Not just the tech team or the executives, but every single employee.

At the end of the day, it’s not just about protecting individual businesses; it’s about creating a safer digital world for all of us.

We can help you do that.