According to a new report on behaviour and attitudes to cybersecurity among different age groups, employees over the age of 30 are more likely to adopt cybersecurity best practice than younger colleagues who have grown up around digital technology. The report – ‘Meeting the expectations of a new generation. How the under 30s expect new approaches to cybersecurity’ – also indicates that the younger generation is more anxious about cybersecurity and their company’s ability to tackle the number of security threats.
Launched by the Security division of NTT Ltd., a leading global technology services company, the report reveals that while the over-30s demonstrate better cybersecurity behaviour in the UK, US, Nordics and Hong Kong, it is under-30s who are cybersecurity leaders in France and Brazil.
NTT’s report identified good and bad practice for global organisations researched as part of its Risk:Value 2019 report, scored across 17 key criteria. It reveals that, on average, under-30s score 2.3 in terms of cybersecurity best practice, compared to 3.0 for over-30s. In the UK, under-30s (4.3) and over-30s (5.5) are among the highest scores globally.
The data suggests that just because Millennials and Generation Z workers are born in the digital age, it does not necessarily mean they follow cybersecurity best practice. In fact, employees who have spent longer in the workplace gaining knowledge and skills and have acquired ‘digital DNA’ during that time, sometimes have an advantage over younger workers.
UK highlights: Generational attitudes to cybersecurity:
- Younger workers are risk takers, with over half (52%) saying they would consider paying a ransom demand to a hacker, compared to just 26% of over-30s
- Over half (58%) of under-30s believe their company does not have adequate skills and resources in-house to cope with the number of security threats. This compares to quarter (26%) of over-30s, and may be the result of growing up in a technology skills crisis
- Under-30s estimate that it would take around three months (97 days) to recover from a cybersecurity breach – six days more than the time estimated by older respondents
- 82% believe that cybersecurity should be a regular item on the boardroom agenda, compared to 90% of over-30s
- More accepting of new tools and devices at work, younger workers consider the Internet of Things (IoT) as more of a security risk (69%) than older colleagues (65%).
Azeem Aleem, VP Consulting (UK&I) Security, NTT, comments: “It’s clear from our research that a multi-generational workforce leads to very different attitudes to cybersecurity. This is a challenge when organisations need to engage across all age groups, from the oldest employee to the youngest. With technology constantly evolving and workers wanting to bring in and use their own devices, apps and tools, business leaders must ensure that security is an enabler and not a barrier to a productive workplace.
NTT’s six cybersecurity best practice tips for a multi-generational workforce:
- Security culture must include all generations and be supported by a diverse range of employee champions, which includes age
- Build a panel of younger employees and listen to their views on cybersecurity
- Younger employees can be at their best and most motivated in an agile, productive, flexible workplace environment, where they are most likely to buy into the desired culture and behaviours. Security should be designed to enable the business
- Make cybersecurity everyone’s business. Security leaders should be approachable to employees, through one-to-one interaction and more formal company events
- Where skills shortages are most acute, support learning programmes, mentoring and consider external support.
- Education is vital. Gamify security learning and make it fun for all
More information on the NTT Report: ‘Meeting the expectations of a new generation. How the under 30s expect new approaches to cybersecurity’ is available at: https://hello.global.ntt/en-us/insights
