Passwords on Post-Its: 2025 Cybersecurity Pulse Survey uncovers alarming employee behaviors

NEW YORK, July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Traliant, a leader in online compliance training, today released its latest research, The State of Cyber: 2025 Cybersecurity Pulse Survey, highlighting a persistent gap between cybersecurity awareness and practice — including risky employee habits that leave organizations vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Based on a survey of over 600 full-time US employees across various industries, the research found:

• 18% of employees reuse passwords across work accounts, creating cascading risk if one account is compromised.
• 23% write down passwords, exposing credentials to loss or theft.
• Only 30% use password managers and less than half (46%) consistently use multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• 42% have accessed sensitive company information on personal devices without IT approval.
• 78% say they’re not fully confident in spotting more advanced phishing attacks like deepfakes or voice spoofing.
• 40% report that current cybersecurity training doesn’t feel relevant to their day-to-day responsibilities.

“AI engineered cyberthreats have become more complex, harder to detect, and exploit employee behaviors,” said John Brushwood, Compliance Counsel at Traliant. “Organizations must rethink how they engage employees around cybersecurity because today’s threats are no longer a tech-only issue — they’re a human one. It’s critical for HR and IT to work together to make a measurable impact on building a stronger culture of cyber vigilance.”

The survey emphasizes the importance of equipping employees with training that is relatable, actionable and provides practical tools and real-world scenarios to build and reinforce cyber awareness — not just to reduce security risks, but to foster a culture of accountability. The report follows the recent release of Traliant’s Cybersecurity solution, which takes a multi-layered approach to threat prevention by combining a 30-minute Cybersecurity Awareness training course, interactive Phishing Simulations, and quarterly Microlearning courses on topics like AI-enabled threats and social engineering. This comprehensive program empowers employees to recognize, prevent and respond to cyber risks year-round.

Read the full Cybersecurity Pulse Survey report here.

Expanding privacy protection: Protecting health data with new HIPAA training
As cyber threats increasingly target sensitive personal and health data, organizations must also reinforce their data privacy practices. In response, Traliant has enhanced its HIPAA training and introduced a new 15-minute refresher course – an efficient option for employees who’ve already completed the full training, offering a streamlined way to reinforce key concepts. Created with oversight from in-house legal and compliance experts, the updated training helps covered entities and business associates comply with federal HIPAA regulations and better safeguard protected health information (PHI).

“Having confidence that your workforce understands HIPAA is essential — not just to avoid costly penalties, but to uphold patient trust,” adds Brushwood.

The HIPAA course combines interactive scenarios and clear guidance on state laws, breach notification rules, and key administrative, technical and physical safeguards — all aligned with the HITECH Act and current state-level privacy standards.

About the Survey
The independent market research firm Researchscape conducted this online survey of 656 US-employed adults across healthcare, hospitality, retail, industrial, manufacturing, and in-office/professional sectors. Participants work at organizations with 100+ employees. The survey was conducted from March 28 to April 1, 2025.

About Traliant 
Traliant, a leader in compliance training, is on a mission to help make workplaces better, for everyone. Committed to a customer promise of “compliance you can trust, training you will love,” Traliant delivers continuously compliant online courses, backed by an unparalleled in-house legal team, with engaging, story-based training designed to create truly enjoyable learning experiences.

Traliant supports over 14,000 organizations worldwide with a library of curated essential courses to broaden employee perspectives, achieve compliance and elevate workplace culture, including sexual harassment training, inclusion training, code of conduct training, and a comprehensive cybersecurity solution.

Backed by PSG, a leading growth equity firm, Traliant holds a coveted position on Inc.’s 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America for four consecutive years, along with numerous awards for its products and workplace culture. For more information, visit http://www.traliant.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact
Reagan Bennet
[email protected]

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