Irish office workers accessing dark web in the workplace

DataSolutions, the specialist IT solutions distributor, has revealed that Irish office workers are accessing the dark web from the workplace. In fact, the company’s research, carried out by Censuswide, found that almost a quarter (22%) of Gen Z office workers have accessed the dark web from the workplace.

The survey of 500 Irish office workers also revealed that 20% of respondents spend over an hour of company time every day on personal matters. It found that younger generations spend the most time on personal activities during work hours, with 39% of Gen Zs spending over an hour every day on personal activities, followed by 26% of Millennials and 10% 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% of respondents admitted that they have researched or booked holidays whilst on the job, while 34% spend company time doing personal chores such as paying bills, booking cleaners and doing their banking.

Some 42% of office workers revealed that they had been caught engaging in personal activities and their boss didn’t have a problem with it. Meanwhile, 10% said that their boss took action – be that a warning, disciplinary action or dismissal.

Commenting on the survey findings, David Keating, Group Security Director, DataSolutions, said: “Our findings show that employees are using company time, and often company devices, to carry out personal tasks. If employees are engaging in personal activities at work, and perhaps interacting with unsecure websites or entering confidential information, company servers could be more susceptible to cyberattacks.

“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.

“It’s not only information and infrastructure that’s potentially at risk here, it’s the company’s reputation and customer base. Irish business leaders have to take responsibility and ensure that, regardless of what staff are doing, they are taking action to shield their organisation from threats.

“Knowledge and education is the first step on the path to protection and prevention when it comes to cybersecurity. With this in mind, we will be discussing how businesses can adopt an effective cybersecurity strategy at the upcoming Secure Computing Forum in the RDS on 12^th September.”