Survey uncovers growing generational preparedness gap as Gen Z and Millennials continue to fall short of enacting safe cyberpractices . idespread concerns are growing

Notably , fear of exposing their organisation to a cyberattack is particularly high among younger generations , with Gen Z and Millennial employees less likely to feel equipped to identify and respond to cyberthreats compared to their older colleagues .

The 2024 Human Risk in Cybersecurity Survey is a study of 1,000 employed Americans across public and private sectors that follows the initial 2022 analysis by EY US and explores the current state of cybersecurity and changes over time , revealing key insights for business leaders on cybersecurity awareness and practices . This year , EY US expanded the study to analyse employee perception of the role of AI in escalating threats , finding 85 % of workers believe AI has made cybersecurity attacks more sophisticated , 78 % are concerned about the use of AI in cyberattacks and 39 % of employees are not confident that they know how to use AI responsibly .

“ With new threats emerging on a near-constant basis fuelled by geopolitical tensions , shifting regulations and the rapid integration of new technologies , including AI , the risk landscape has become even more complicated ,” said Jim Guinn , II , EY Americas Cybersecurity Leader . “ Want to secure your organisation today and in the future ? Put humans at the centre of your cyberstrategy and enlist your people as protectors on the frontlines , arming them with knowledge , training and a dose of healthy scepticism about all digital interactions .”

Closing the Gen Z cybersecurity preparedness gap

Similar to the 2022 findings , the latest EY US cybersecurity study highlights a persistent gap in preparedness across generations , with younger workers continuing to fall short of exercising safe cybersecurity practices more so than older generations .

In fact , Gen Z is losing confidence in their ability to recognise phishing attempts – one of the most common and successful tactics of social engineering attacks – and is most likely to admit to opening a suspicious link . And now , with the power of AI-generated phishing emails , spotting malicious links and content is getting even harder .

Although they are a digital-first generation , only 31 % of Gen Z feel very confident identifying phishing attempts , marking an alarming nine percentage point drop from 40 % in 2022 , and 72 % said they have opened an unfamiliar link that seemed suspicious at work , far higher than Millennials ( 51 %), Gen X ( 36 %) and Baby Boomers ( 26 %).

Nearly two-in-three Gen Z and Millennial workers are particularly fearful about repercussions surrounding cybersecurity , including 64 % of Gen Z and 58 % of Millennials who fear they would lose their job if they ever left their organisation vulnerable to an attack . Younger generations are also more likely to not fully understand what their organisation ’ s process is to report suspected cyberattacks , even though their organisation has a process in place ( 39 % Gen Z and 29 % Millennials vs . 19 % Gen X and 15 % Baby Boomers ).

However , it ’ s not all doom and gloom . Despite concerns around their abilities to prevent an

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