Nearly one in five employees in Pakistan have made IT-related mistakes at work because they lack adequate cybersecurity knowledge, according to a new survey by cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
The study, which covered employees across the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa (META) region, found that 18.5 percent of Pakistani respondents admitted their workplace IT errors were caused by insufficient cybersecurity awareness.
The survey identified working in a hurry as the leading reason behind IT mistakes, with 20.5 percent of respondents citing it as the main factor.
Meanwhile, 16 percent blamed fatigue or workplace stress, while another 16 percent pointed to the constant stream of notifications. An additional 15 percent said simple oversight was responsible for their mistakes.
Kaspersky warned that the continuous flow of emails, alerts, chat messages, and notifications can reduce employees’ concentration, making them more susceptible to phishing attempts, social engineering, and other cyber threats.
The research also highlighted widespread digital clutter in Pakistani workplaces. Around 37 percent of respondents said their computer desktops contained between 10 and 20 icons, while 36.5 percent reported having even more icons occupying at least half of their screen.
Browser overload was another common issue, with 30 percent of employees saying they typically keep more than 10 browser tabs open simultaneously.
According to Kaspersky, cluttered desktops, excessive browser tabs, and unused applications not only reduce productivity but can also increase security risks by exposing sensitive information and affecting system performance.
The survey further found that digital housekeeping remains inconsistent. Although many employees regularly clean physical devices such as keyboards and smartphones, only 58.5 percent said they delete unnecessary digital files at least once a month. Others perform digital cleanup only every few months or even once a year.
Brandon Muller, Senior Security Consultant for Kaspersky’s META region, said digital fatigue caused by information overload can gradually weaken employees’ attention, increasing the likelihood of cybersecurity mistakes and successful social engineering attacks.
To reduce these risks, Kaspersky urged employees to organize files, remove unnecessary desktop icons, close unused browser tabs, and uninstall applications they no longer use.
The company also advised organizations to conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training, strengthen phishing and email security education, establish clear policies for passwords, software installation, and AI usage, and deploy security solutions capable of providing real-time threat detection and response.
