As Data Privacy Week (26–30 January 2026) approaches, Kensington, a global leader in laptop security and privacy solutions, is urging IT and cybersecurity professionals to re-evaluate the physical vulnerabilities that continue to expose organisations to costly data breaches.

Despite widespread investment in digital defences, Kensington’s latest research shows that unsecured devices remain a significant—and often underestimated—attack vector in modern hybrid and mobile work environments.

While organisations prioritise firewalls, encryption and endpoint monitoring, physical access continues to be one of the easiest ways for attackers to bypass digital controls and compromise sensitive information.

Kensington’s research highlights how hybrid and decentralised work models are amplifying real-world security exposures that digital tools alone cannot mitigate.

As employees increasingly work across offices, homes and public spaces, laptops and mobile devices are more frequently left exposed to theft, unauthorised access and data leakage.

Key findings include:

• 76% of organisations have experienced device theft in the last two years¹, rising sharply to 85% in hybrid environments¹
  
  
• 33% of organisations faced legal or regulatory consequences after device theft, while 32% reported productivity loss due to stolen devices¹

With the average global cost of a data breach reaching US$4.88 million in 2024², compared to an average device lock costing less than US$40², the disparity highlights a significant gap in risk-to-cost management.

According to Louie Yao, Director of Global Product Development at Kensington, the cybersecurity industry must broaden its definition of what constitutes a high-risk endpoint.

“Cybersecurity teams know that the endpoint is where risk concentrates, yet physical access remains one of the most common ways attackers bypass digital controls,”

“As hybrid work expands, an unsecured laptop is effectively an open door. The research shows organisations can dramatically reduce breach likelihood with simple physical controls, and at a fraction of the cost of a single incident.” Mr Yao said.

The research also highlights the growing threat of visual hacking, with nearly 23% of surveyed IT leaders identifying it as an increasing risk—particularly as professionals work in public or shared environments such as transport hubs, meeting lounges and coworking spaces¹.

Arivan Ahmad, Kensington Australia Product Manager, said the rise of mobile and flexible work has accelerated visual privacy risks across Australia.

“Digitisation has increased the amount of sensitive information displayed on screens every day. As work becomes more mobile, the risks of ‘shoulder surfing’, where someone simply glances at your screen, have grown significantly,” Mr Ahmad said.

“Airports, cafés, coworking spaces and even shared office setups create ideal conditions for visual hacking.”

“Many organisations still underestimate how easily visual data can be harvested. In highly regulated industries like government, healthcare and financial services, privacy screens are now becoming essential day-to-day security tools, not optional accessories.” he said.

Kensington’s privacy screens reduce this risk by narrowing the viewing angle, ensuring sensitive information is visible only to the user and protected from onlookers or malicious actors.

Kensington’s research further reinforces that device-level security remains an underused but highly effective control.

Additional findings include:

• Organisations using device locks are 37% less likely to experience data breaches caused by unsecured devices
  
  
• 84% of IT decision-makers view physical security locks as a cost-effective mitigation tool
  
  
• 97% agree that physical locks significantly reduce unauthorised access and theft

Emphasising the importance of defence-in-depth, Mr Yao said cybersecurity strategies must extend beyond software alone.

“Cybersecurity is no longer just about software hardening; it’s about securing the entire attack surface, including the physical one.

“When organisations combine digital authentication, encryption and physical locking mechanisms, they establish a layered defence that can meaningfully reduce exposure,” he said.

Mr Ahmad added that demand for physical security tools is rising across Australian organisations as awareness of their effectiveness grows.

“Any employee working with commercially or personally sensitive information benefits from tools like privacy screens and device locks,”

“We’re seeing the strongest adoption in government, healthcare and banking because the cost of a privacy breach in those sectors is significantly higher than the cost of prevention.” he said

As Data Privacy Week approaches, Kensington is urging cybersecurity leaders to reassess the physical vulnerabilities that remain open across hybrid and mobile work environments—and to recognise that low-cost physical controls can eliminate some of the highest-impact security risks.