Almost one in four of Gen Z office workers surf dark web
By Maurice Garvey
ALMOST a quarter (22 per cent) of Generation Z office workers have accessed the dark web from the workplace, according to a survey by Nangor Road IT solutions distributor DataSolutions.
The company’s research, carried out by Censuswide among 500 Irish office workers, also revealed that 20 per cent of respondents spend over an hour of company time every day on personal matters.
David Keating, Group Security Director DataSolutions
It found that younger generations spend the most time on personal activities during work hours, with 39 per cent of Gen Z’s spending over an hour every day on personal activities, followed by 26 per cent of Millennials and 10 per cent of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
The most popular activities were reading the news online, scrolling through social media and messaging friends and family.
Furthermore, 39 per cent of respondents admitted that they have researched or booked holidays whilst on the job, while 34 per cent spend company time doing personal chores such as paying bills and banking.
Some 42 per cent revealed that they had been caught engaging in personal activities, but their boss didn’t have a problem with it. Meanwhile, 10 per cent said that their boss took action – be that a warning, disciplinary action or dismissal.
Employees visiting unsecured websites could leave companies susceptible to cyberattacks and damage their reputation, according to David Keating, Group Security Director, DataSolutions.
He said: “The real question is whether employers are fully aware of what employees are doing on work devices and whether safeguards are in place to protect the organisation from associated risks.
It’s not about banning personal activities altogether, it’s about being aware of potential weak spots and introducing technologies that help to protect work systems and data.”
DataSolutions will be discussing effective cybersecurity strategy at the upcoming Secure Computing Forum in the RDS on September 12.
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