One in five retail employees in the UK have been involved in cyber security incident or loss of secure data, according to new research.

The study from Impero Software, which surveyed 400 UK employees in the retail industry, found that over half of respondents – 57 per cent – access company systems and data using personal devices.

A further three in ten – 29 per cent – say their company doesn’t strictly enforce a security policy for using personal devices at work or they simply don’t have a policy to begin with.

According to the report, the average retail professional accesses company and customer data three times a week and employee data twice a week. They use an average of three different devices to do so.

Despite this, more than two-thirds – 68 per cent - do not feel confident recognising and reporting cybersecurity threats at work, while one in three feel that they would benefit from their company improving the quality of its cybersecurity training.

“The retail industry has come a long way in its embracing of digital technologies, and many big retail operations are now underpinned by a diverse and often complex network of connected devices,” said Justin Reilly, chief executive, Impero. “While this is important to the industry’s growth, companies must simultaneously ensure their cybersecurity infrastructure is fit for purpose.

Reilly added: “This is more than just a purely technical task. Employees play a vital role in protecting private data, so it is disheartening to hear that so many lack the knowledge and tools they need to protect systems and data.”

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