Almost one in four Irish workers are using the dark web and putting their companies at risk of cyber-attacks.
A staggering half of Generation Z admitting to catching up with their online life during office hours while a nearly a quarter have browsed the dark web from their workplace.
The dark web is a collection of websites that are based on an encrypted network that makes people hard to trace.
The new figures from DataSolutions also found that the top non-work activities people spent time on were reading the news, checking social media or messaging pals.
David Keating, Group Security Director of DataSolutions, said: “Our findings show that employees are using company time, and often company devices, to carry out personal tasks.
“If employees are engaging in personal activities at work, and perhaps interacting with unsecure websites or entering confidential information, company servers could be more susceptible to cyberattacks.
“The real question is whether employers are fully aware of what employees are doing on work devices and whether safeguards are in place to protect the organisation from associated risks.
“It’s not about banning personal activities altogether; it’s about being aware of potential weak spots and introducing technologies that help to protect work systems and data."
He added: “It’s not only information and infrastructure that’s potentially at risk here, it’s the company’s reputation and customer base.
“Irish business leaders have to take responsibility and ensure that, regardless of what staff are doing, they are taking action to shield their organisation from threats.
“Knowledge and education is the first step on the path to protection and prevention when it comes to cybersecurity.
“With this in mind, we will be discussing how businesses can adopt an effective cybersecurity strategy at the upcoming Secure Computing Forum in the RDS on September 12.”
The survey also found that younger generations spend the most time on personal activities during work hours, with 39% of Gen Zs (16-23) spending over an hour every day on personal activities, followed by 26% of Millennials (24-37) and 10% of Gen X (38-53) and Baby Boomers (54-72).
As well as this, 42% of office workers revealed that they had been caught engaging in personal activities and their boss didn’t have a problem with it.
Meanwhile, 10% said that their boss took action – be that a warning, disciplinary action or dismissal.
