Industry News Home More stories like this... RSS Feed

Increased risk of online threats during Christmas period

Employers have been warned to expect an increased risk of spam, viruses and phishing attacks in the workplace over the Christmas holiday period following revelations that many people are going to indulge in shopping while working.

According to research commissioned by ISACA, a global, nonprofit association of IT professionals, four out of ten people in the US aged 18-24 will shop online for up to five hours using their work computer.

Overall figures still show a risk of exposure to online threats as some 63 per cent of all those polled said they planned to use their workplace computers to shop online during the holiday season.

"This survey clearly shows that younger employees are more likely to engage in online activities at work that put a business's IT infrastructure at risk," said Kent Anderson of ISACA's security management committee.

A recent report from online security firm Panda Security revealed that more than nine in ten emails in the third quarter of this year were spam.

PC Tools anti virus software offers high security and protection for your home or office. Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection