A year on from the home working surge, cybersecurity practices are still inadequate

A new report from cybersecurity firm PC Matic finds that one year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 35 percent of Americans are still working from home.

However, the study of more than 5,800 people across the US finds less than 10 percent of respondents are provided with an antivirus software solution for the personal device they use for work purposes.

In 2020, seven percent of respondents who use their personal devices for work purposes said that their employer provided them with an antivirus solution. In 2021 this figure had only risen to nine percent.

Nearly 62 percent of remote workers in both 2020 and 2021 said that their employer didn't issue a device for work purposes, and instead required they use their personal devices.

Also in 2020, 47 percent of respondents indicated they were not receiving technical assistance from their employer. In 2021, this number picked up slightly to 49 percent of remote workers saying they were not receiving technical assistance.

"Work from home is here to stay," says Rob Cheng, CEO and founder of PC Matic. "As threat-actors continue to target remote workers, and as the number of ransomware attacks continues to surge, it is imperative that employers take these threats seriously. The time is now to educate employees of the risks and to invest in proactive solutions designed to thwart these modern day threats."

You can get the full report on the PC Matic site.

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