Remote Work and the Associated Cybersecurity Risks

There is a growing cybersecurity risk for businesses due to the increased prevalence of remote labour and the digitisation of previously conventional services. More and more people are opting to work remotely, and this has led to a rise in the number of potential security threats associated with remote work.

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There is a growing cybersecurity risk for businesses due to the increased prevalence of remote labour and the digitisation of previously conventional services. More and more people are opting to work remotely, and this has led to a rise in the number of potential security threats associated with remote work.

According to Deloitte's research, the importance of cybersecurity has increased since the pandemic, which prompted many businesses to undertake a quick digital transition.

In addition, the cyber threat landscape is becoming more complex and diverse wherein phishing attacks have become much more sophisticated. As a result, businesses must take preventative measures against cybersecurity threats rather than reacting to them after the fact. In addition to getting back to business after a hack or attack, firms must also develop methods to detect and respond to such intrusions.

Biggest Cybersecurity Issues While Working Remotely

Increased Exposure to Phishing

Since more people are now able to work from home, phishing attacks have become more common. Most of us have probably received at least one phishing email in our lives. Common phishing emails pose as messages from legitimate companies, such as those offering online services, and asking for personal information or files that might spread malware.

Always double-check the sender's email address, subject line, and email content for symptoms of a phishing scam, such as misspelt words or grammatical errors. Instead of clicking on any links provided, hover over them to view their destination URL; if it is not the official company website, it is likely a scam.

Unsecured Systems

Despite not having the knowledge of how to update and sufficiently secure their home routers, computers, and smartphones, many workers used their personal devices to work after the rapid move to remote work happened during the pandemic.

Additionally, when employees are allowed to work remotely, there is a greater likelihood that they would utilise unencrypted networks, such as public Wi-Fi. The security of even a home network is often inadequate.

Poor Data Management Practices 

For a variety of reasons, employees may download confidential data to non-encrypted local devices. They may also communicate critical company data across insecure channels for the sake of convenience, such as unencrypted email or files, without being aware of the hazards that are associated with doing so.

Increasing Attack Surface and Theft

When more people in an organisation are free to work remotely, the security department must deal with a corresponding rise in the number of endpoints, networks, and software that need protection. 

Employees who do their jobs from home or in open office spaces, like coworking cafes or coffee shops, run the risk of having their laptops or mobile phones stolen. Cybercriminals can gain access to any information stored on these devices if proper precautions are not taken to encrypt and secure the data. Companies that employ remote workers often reimburse employees for the cost of establishing a secure home office.

How to Secure Remote Working Setups

If a company implements industry-standard security practices for remote work, there is a significantly decreased risk that the company would be the victim of a malicious cyber-attack, which can result in significant financial losses.

Configure Cloud Environment

In public cloud environments, misconfigurations are a common root cause of security problems. Implement reasonable user access rules and take steps to eliminate bugs, loopholes, or faults that could put the workplace at risk during cloud migration and operation.

Enforce User Behavior Analytics

An integral part of the zero-trust, User Behaviour Analytics (UBA) employs machine learning and data science to learn a user's regular behaviour while logging into company systems and to detect anomalous behaviours that may indicate a credential compromise.

Vulnerability Management and Threat Detection

Applying a risk-based strategy will help you to swiftly fix the most dangerous security vulnerabilities and reduce the number of flaws that remain unpatched, making your system less vulnerable to attack. Think about how your current methods of detecting threats and dealing with incidents could use some improvement. They need to be revised so that they can deal with modern dangers in the modern world.

Make Employees Aware of Security Issues

In order to keep your business safe from emerging security threats, it's important to educate your users and staff on the risks they face and the measures that you will need to take to mitigate them. Employee training is the single most important factor in ensuring system security; without it, all other efforts will be for nothing.

Implement Security Principles

Employees working from home should utilise virtual private networks (VPNs) to connect to company servers, install antivirus software on all company-issued devices, and adhere to a strict password policy that mandates distinct passwords for each website. Keeping sensitive information encrypted and employing cloud-based file sharing to keep data off employee devices are two more measures that have been endorsed by experts.

Even though there are numerous advantages to working remotely, such as cost savings and increased productivity, there are also several security risks associated with working remotely. With regards to cyber security, this is very important to remember.

Companies need to be aware of the dangers of remote work to come up with solutions and safeguards against them. A well-defined remote work policy can help both companies and employees understand the potential problems and how they may be addressed. 

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