Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

What’s Your Biggest IT Security Risk? Look in the Mirror.

A new survey finds that human error is the root cause in more than half of security incidents.

Serg Dibrova/Shutterstock

The next time your company finds itself the victim of a security breach, it would be natural if you got angry and wanted to blame whatever type of criminal hacker you think might have carried it out.

But if the findings of a new survey on security trends from CompTIA, a nonprofit trade organization for IT professionals, are any guide, the blame more than likely lies with the person in the mirror.

A survey of 400 tech professionals and senior executives at U.S.-based companies found that human error was the “leading contributor” in more than half — at least 52 percent — of security breaches, while technology failed less than half of the time — 48 percent.

Among the most common human errors: “Failure to follow policies and procedures” and “general carelessness,” which were both cited by 42 percent of companies surveyed.

And the worries about human error at these companies are increasing: More than a third — 39 percent — said that human errors had become a more prevalent problem in security incidents during the previous two years, and was slightly higher at the largest companies in the survey.

The obvious solution is to train employees to do better and try to reduce the number of the kind of dumb mistakes that can give a criminal hacker a foot in the door. But here’s a surprise: Only 54 percent of companies in the survey require employees to go through any kind of security training. When the other 46 percent were asked why they don’t offer any training, a bunch of them — one in three — gave no specific reason.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

More in Technology

Politics
The Supreme Court will decide when the police can use your phone to track youThe Supreme Court will decide when the police can use your phone to track you
Politics

Chatrie v. United States asks what limits the Constitution places on the surveillance state in an age of cellphones.

By Ian Millhiser
Future Perfect
The simple question that could change your careerThe simple question that could change your career
Future Perfect

Making a difference in the world doesn’t require changing your job.

By Bryan Walsh
Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram