A recent analysis by Lookout delved into the cyber threats that remote employees face. The findings suggested that 80% of those surveyed confessed that they become more casual and easily distracted when working remotely, especially on Fridays during the summer. Furthermore, 68% disclosed their propensity to use personal gadgets for professional tasks. Disturbingly, 13% confessed to being duped by a phishing scam during their remote working hours.

An alarming 21% of respondents disclosed that they would carry on with their tasks even if they recognized that they had been compromised by a phishing scam, especially if it happened on a Friday. An additional 9% said they’d delay reporting such an incident until the following week. Despite these risks, ceasing remote work isn’t a feasible solution. A significant 65% revealed they would consider leaving their position if there were alterations to the remote work policies.

The analysis also proposed certain protective measures:

Initiating with consistent regulations is essential. These should resonate with the zero-trust principles, which can be applied universally, covering every user and the data they aim to access. This includes those employing their personal mobile devices. It’s crucial to continually verify users and the data they interact with, given that malicious entities are becoming subtler in their attempts to seize employee login details. Any deviation from standard behavior, such as unauthorized data access, should instantly prompt user reauthentication.

Every organization needs to safeguard every user and device from potential phishing threats, mobile devices included. Bad actors are increasingly targeting employee details via mobile gadgets, capitalizing on the fact that these users can be susceptible to manipulative tactics across various applications. Considering the current blended work model, where employees seamlessly switch between professional and personal tasks on their devices, defending against mobile-based phishing becomes an indispensable line of defense.