Accenture report finds one fifth of respondents have entered sensitive business data into unsecured AI tools
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Jacky Fox, Accenture
Little more than half (52%) of Irish office workers are confident in their ability to identify phishing attacks, and one in five (19%) have entered sensitive business data, such as customer details and financial information into free, into unsecured AI tools, according to a survey of 1,000 Irish office workers by Accenture.
While most respondents said they received training either quarterly or annually (65%), one in 10 (10%) had never received cyber security training, highlighting a gap in organisational preparedness. The research also found that the vast majority of respondents (87%) had encountered suspicious messages at work, and 36% reported getting an e-mail or text message impersonating a co-worker.
Further findings showed that just over three quarters of office workers (77%) were likely to report a phishing attempt, 46% said they weree unsure of what to do if they were to receive suspicious messages. In addition, more than half of those surveyed (56%) selected reasons that may discourage them from reporting a phishing or deepfake attack at work. These include not believing it’s serious (21%) not knowing who to report to (20%) and fear of being blamed (15%).
Responsibility for cyber security was also unclear, with a near-even split between those who believed office workers (48%) were responsible for preventing cyberattacks and those who think it’s the job of IT professionals (42%).
AI-driven phishing e-mails topped the list of concerns for Irish office workers (47%), followed by identity theft through AI misuse (34%). Deepfake threats were also a major worry, with 32% concerned about impersonations of their own likeness, and 31% about deepfake videos impersonating leaders or executives.
Senior managing director at Accenture cyber security Jacky Fox said: “These findings highlight the evolving nature of cyber threats in the age of AI and the urgent need for businesses to address gaps in training, tools, and reporting culture. While 52% of employees feel confident spotting phishing attempts, it only takes one person to be deceived for an attack to succeed, and human error remains the leading cause of breaches.
“Our research also reveals a lack of clarity on responsibility, with employees split between whether cyber security is their job or IT’s. This mindset treats security as a technical issue rather than a core part of business resilience, leaving organisations exposed when attacks disrupt operations, reputation, and trust.”
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