Islamabad (GNP): A Kaspersky survey titled “Cybersecurity in the Workplace: Employee Knowledge and Behavior,” conducted among employees across the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa region including Pakistan, found that 18.5% of Pakistani respondents admitted to making IT-related errors due to gaps in cybersecurity awareness — highlighting the ongoing need for regular training programs.
Other commonly cited reasons for IT mistakes included being in a rush (20.5%), oversight (15%), fatigue or stress (16%), and being overwhelmed by notifications (16%). Researchers noted that constant alerts and cluttered screens are becoming a growing contributor to costly errors and increased vulnerability to social engineering attacks.
The survey also examined how employees manage their digital environments. Roughly 37% of respondents reported having between 10 and 20 icons on their desktop, while another 36.5% said they had even more, with icons covering half to a full screen. Meanwhile, 30% reported regularly keeping more than 10 browser tabs open at once.
Researchers noted that such clutter can not only distract users but also slow device performance and, in some cases, allow unused applications to continue collecting data in the background.
Interestingly, while many employees reported regularly cleaning physical devices like keyboards and phones — a habit some adopted during the pandemic — digital cleanliness lagged behind. While 58.5% of respondents said they clear unnecessary files at least once a month, the remainder do so far less often, sometimes just once a quarter or year.
The survey also looked at how employees spend work breaks, finding that 71% typically eat or drink during breaks, while 44% socialize with colleagues.
Only 13.5% reported using breaks for stretching or physical activity, despite this being a more effective method for reducing stress and restoring focus.
Kaspersky’s senior security consultant for the region, Brandon Muller, said digital fatigue represents a real and growing workplace stressor, noting that constant notifications and cluttered digital environments gradually erode focus and increase susceptibility to mistakes and social engineering attacks.
He emphasized that simplifying one’s digital workspace should be viewed not just as a productivity measure, but as a cybersecurity practice.
To improve cyber hygiene, Kaspersky recommends decluttering desktops by removing unnecessary icons and organizing files logically, managing browser tabs by bookmarking important pages and clearing history regularly, uninstalling unused applications, and limiting notifications to essential alerts, particularly during focused work periods.
The company also recommends that organizations invest in ongoing cybersecurity training for employees — such as through Kaspersky’s Automated Security Awareness Platform, which covers topics ranging from phishing to safe AI tool usage — alongside clear internal policies on passwords, software installation, and acceptable use of AI technologies.
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Additionally, Kaspersky suggests implementing comprehensive security solutions, such as those in its Next product line, to provide real-time protection and threat detection capabilities.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
