One in four people use work password to log on to personal sites, increasing the risk to the enterprise

February 26, 2021

Employees working from home on a company-provided computer are demonstrating a clear lack of cybersecurity knowledge through high-risk behavior, according to a report today released by Ivanti. The 2021 Secure Consumer Cyber Report found that one in four consumers admit to using their work email or password to log in to consumer websites and applications such as food delivery apps, online shopping sites and even dating apps.

The report found that consumers are neglecting to implement fundamental security safeguards across smart IoT devices at home, which could have serious security ramifications on both the individual and the enterprise amid increased and ongoing remote work spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. As consumers often recycle passwords, the report findings indicate enterprises are at risk every time credentials are stolen from breached consumer websites, making it paramount for organizations and consumers to ensure there is a separation between login information used for work and personal apps or websites.

The Secure Consumer Cyber Report surveyed 1,000 Americans working from home amid the pandemic on a company-provided computer to examine how consumer and enterprise cybersecurity habits have changed. The report also revealed that companies have taken steps to shore up cybersecurity. However, nearly one in four companies still fail to follow the Zero Trust security best practices, such as multi-factor authentication requirements and corporate workspace segregation policies, necessary to stay ahead of the attack curve.

“The FBI issued a warning about an increase in credential stuffing attacks in September 2020 and yet consumers are still using work emails and passwords to log in to consumer apps and websites, putting the enterprise at significant risk of a credential stuffing attack,” said Phil Richards, CSO at Ivanti.

The findings in the inaugural Secure Consumer Cyber Report are based on a survey conducted by Ivanti in November 2020. The survey took place online and used a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people over 18 working in the U.S.

Download the 2021 Secure Consumer Cyber Report here.

Ransomware and the propulsion of the extortion economy has rapidly eclipsed into a national priority. Recently, we observed the catastrophic impact of a widescale ransomware attack impacting gas pipelines and raising national gas prices overnight.