Global technology giant, Zoho, stated today that in the latest “State of Email Security Awareness Report 2023,” South East Asia outperformed other developing regions in terms of email safety awareness.
Using data from more than 400 respondents in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the score turned out to be 43.2% on email security awareness, with South America (39.9%) and the Middle East and Africa (40.7%).
In addition, the world’s best participants in “Anomaly Detection in Email Behavior” and “Data Protection in File Sharing” are also from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Interestingly, relative to the region’s average, the portion of respondents who were Zoho customers (constituting 25% of the sample) showed better awareness levels across various danger types.
Industry-Specific measures needed regarding email security
Technology and education were the two industries that came out the best, while the government, healthcare, and industrial sectors were the most prone to email safety risks. Important results show that:
- Education sector: there are high awareness levels in almost all threat types especially on “Authentication and Access Control” and “Anomaly Detection in Email Behaviour.”
- Retail & finance sector: there are moderate awareness levels with space to improve on “Attachments and Phishing” and “Anomaly Detection in Email Behavior.”
- Technology sector: leading in “Data Protection in File Sharing” with a good 62% awareness level with space to improve on as “Email Identity Verification” and “Attachments and Phishing”.
- Healthcare sector: there are alarmingly low levels especially on “Email Identity Verification” and on “Attachments and Phishing” with 34%.
- Government sector: it is identified as vulnerable as well, with low levels on “Email Identity Verification” (29%) and “Web content and URL safety” (34%).
- Manufacturing sector: the most vulnerable sector with the lowest awareness on “Web Content and URL Safety” and “Data Protection in File Sharing” at 27% and 29%, respectively.
There is a need for enhanced email safety measures and protocols on technology, healthcare, and government sector. In addition, extensive cybersecurity programs are desperately needed in the manufacturing sector to protect vital industrial assets.
Gap Between Larger Businesses and SMEs
Between small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and larger companies, there was an obvious gap in email security understanding. SMEs in South East Asia scored 40% on awareness, a significantly lower percentage than the 51.1% of their bigger counterparts in the area.
The awareness of SMEs in South East Asia fell behind established regions such as Europe (EU) (54%), North America (NA) (61.6%), and Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) (57%). India (42%) and other developing nations performed exceptionally well. Professionals at South East Asian SMEs did, however, slightly surpassed competitors in the MEA (39.7%) and SA (39.2%).
Employee awareness in larger corporations fell short of India (54%), but was greater in this region than in MEA (38.1%) and SA (36.4%). Additionally, there was an intriguing difference of around 13% between big firms in South East Asia and developed areas such as the EU, ANZ, and NA.
Correlation Between Experience and Awareness
South East Asian executives, with 11–20 years of experience, had the best score (54%), out of all experience levels in the area. They have beaten MEA and SA by 18% and 16% respectively, while following NA, ANZ, and EU with 12%, 9%, and 6% respectively. This implies that experienced experts in the area have a moderate level of awareness.
However, there was an unexpected decrease from the previous year to 45% among executive-level individuals (more than 20 years of experience). They are behind SA, MEA, and NA by 5%, 10%, and 11%, respectively, while they are behind EU, ANZ, and NA by 20%, 15%, and 11%, respectively.
With a 30% awareness level, new workers placed below NA, ANZ, and EU by 20%, 18%, and 15%, accordingly. However, their comprehension levels were comparable to those of freshmen in SA, MEA, and India.
In South East Asia, there is also an obvious gap in knowledge of 24.6% between entry-level workers and senior-level staff. Regardless of seniority, professionals at different phases of their careers require ongoing training and upskilling activities, as seen by the differences in awareness among expertise levels.
1,814 survey participants from across the world contributed their responses to the questionnaires, which serves as an essential reference point for businesses, IT directors, and cybersecurity specialists to evaluate and improve email security awareness initiatives.
You can read the full report on this link.
