Nearly one in five white-collar employees polled (19%) admit they have opened a suspicious email at work—and then failed to notify IT that they may have compromised computer security systems. The danger: Scammers use spam emails to commit identity theft, access recipients’ bank accounts or gain access to businesses’ computer networks.
Harris Interactive uncovered the disturbing stat when it surveyed workers about their email savvy. The poll also found that 23% of office workers don’t understand why IT makes them change their passwords so often.
According to Courion Corp., an Internet security consulting firm that sponsored the survey, employers should regularly train employees about the risks of opening suspicious emails.