Employees fear being blamed for company data breaches.

We've mentioned several times here on the blog that unprepared or inattentive employees are easy victims of company data breaches.

With so much news about cyberattacks, the creation of specific laws for companies such as the LGPD , and also the tougher penalties for digital crimes , has made internet security a more common and widespread topic.

As a result, employees began to fear being responsible for a data leak or hijacking at the company where they work.

Below, you'll find some interesting facts on the topic, some reasons why employees fear liability, some forms of protection, and some helpful resources.

Small business employees fear blame

Workers in small and medium-sized organizations, in particular, do not consider themselves attractive targets for cybercriminals, do not understand the full extent of cyber threats, and rarely report incidents for fear of being blamed.

According to a new cybersecurity report from Avast , 40% of company employees believe that clicking on a malicious link by mistake is their responsibility, so when it happens, they don't report it to those responsible.

The survey also found that 70% of employees were unaware of the threat level in their workplace, thinking that the biggest threat to their company's internet security lies outside their organization and is beyond their control.

Another important fact is that less than 18% of employees know that system and application updates are important to protect the company. Furthermore, 65% of employees believe that only large companies are more likely to be victims of a cyberattack, and that small and medium-sized companies are less at risk.

Although cybersecurity has evolved and become a topic of discussion at meetings, it's still not widely discussed, or at least not as widely as it should be, in small and medium-sized companies. Various employee behaviors and actions can indeed cause significant damage to the company, and that's exactly what we'll discuss in the following sections.

Collaborators without knowledge

Managers and IT professionals still wonder whether employee training actually reduces the risk of cyberattacks. Yes, cybersecurity training does reduce the risk of a company becoming a victim online.

According to a survey last year, a lack of awareness about corporate email security (one of the most commonly used channels by criminals), for example, makes employees five times more likely to click on malicious files sent via email. Furthermore, the survey shows that 60% still spread malware to other company employees.

Every organization has a responsibility to provide employees with ways to protect themselves online, not only through the use of hardware or software, but also through training. After all, data loss can directly affect the company's operations and, in some cases, its revenue as well.

Managers and IT professionals must also consider the LGPD when providing their employees with internet security knowledge. After all, they are also responsible for keeping the company within the guidelines imposed by the law.

Management of the company's internet access

Efficiently managing company internet access goes far beyond implementing access rules or a good old-fashioned company internet usage policy . Company-specific internet access management tools are extremely useful and important for those seeking to shift responsibility away from employees.

In short, these types of solutions provide a comprehensive overview of the company's network status and establish effective access rules, blocking websites considered harmful or even outside the scope of work.

Additionally, these tools offer other features such as browsing speed balancing, internet access reports, time-based website blocking, firewalls, secure remote access, and more.

If you're a manager or IT professional committed to taking the burden off your employees and making your company's internet access more secure, consider using an internet access management tool for your company.

Below, we've prepared some useful materials to help you establish a security and access management system in your company more easily.

Useful (and free) materials

The materials listed below are completely free and focused on tips and solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Download them whenever you like and share them with your colleagues and friends.