Business owners know that the productivity of a remote worker is higher than one doing similar work in the office. Companies around the world have been switching to the remote work format over the past several years, and even more against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Owls Lab, more than 16% of American companies had switched to fully remote work by the end of last year. Another 40% chose the mixed option when the company's work is divided between the office and home.
How Cybersecurity Impacts Business
Unfortunately, working in a new environment opens up unique opportunities not only for entrepreneurs but also for cybercriminals. Information ransom is the most common way for hackers to make money, blackmailing the business owners to pay for stolen and kept data. Therefore, be sure to provide cybersecurity for remote workers.
Credentials Are Key
If you only need a password to log into the system used by your company, this is the best chance for hackers. MFA - multi-factor authentication, which supplements passwords with a one-time code or a bit of other information - will help to resist cyber-attacks. For example, the query "Are you a robot?" could be an easy additional step.
Security is improved by a unique set of passwords and logins, stored in an encrypted virtual safe.
Educate Your Team
In the case of office work, you can call an IT specialist who will come and service all computer equipment. No one will provide urgent assistance to employees who work remotely, even using their own devices. Therefore, the company manager should be sure to train the team to use cybersecurity products and services in order to act competently when hacking attempts occur, and to protect the company from phishing.
Are Video Calls a Weak Spot?
In the work process, managers practice video conferencing. This is an effective way of setting and monitoring tasks. But keep in mind that cybercriminals can take advantage of this format of communication.
Be Aware of Your IT Demands
In such circumstances, your IT department has to ensure business development cybersecurity and the smooth operation of corporate technologies outside the office. This means that your IT team members need to have a stable connection with every remote employee and be free of non-urgent and unnecessary tasks.
Typical Risks Posed by Remote Working Cybersecurity
The danger of becoming a target for a hacker attack increases many times when an employee uses a personal computer. Here are the most critical factors of the cybersecurity risk:
- Network risks. Remote workers use public wired and wireless networks to log into the corporate database, which is usually not really secure. The company is not able to provide all remote devices connected to different providers with protection from network attacks and hacker oversight.
- Physical device security. A personal or corporate PC or laptop can be stolen or lost. Thus, an attacker will be able to access confidential information.
- A mix of personal and business usage. When working remotely, the company can't control the applications and services that the employee uses for personal purposes. This opens up sufficient opportunities for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to corporate application resources.
- Scams focused on remote workers. A hacker aimed at obtaining confidential information can always find a way to manipulate a remote employee working alone, without the technical support of office colleagues.
Steps You Can Take to Ensure Your Data Cybersecurity
Most of the cybersecurity assessment tools we present here are intended for employees working remotely. In order to protect corporate and personal data and personally control all possible risks, the remote workers should:
- Configure remote access. This is difficult to implement without physical devices. To set up multi-factor authentication, your IT department needs to grant access to each local device.
- Respect confidentiality. Remote employees work from home in close contact with their families. This means that the personal email should not be used to transfer corporate data, and physical documents should not be accessible.
- Update the contacts. For urgent communication in a work process, every worker must have phone numbers of all employees and company managers. This will ensure the security of confidential information.
- Update the network security. Remote workers need to change their Wi-Fi passwords frequently because hackers can easily gain access to a network powered by a home router. Explain to your employees the danger of accessing the internet in restaurants and other places where a public connection is used.
- Use secure corporate VPNs that give employees access to the corporate database easily and safely from any point in the world.
- Avoid phishing emails. Bulk emailing is a proven way to get confidential information - passwords, logins, personal and payment information.
- Enable multi factor authentication.
These easy cybersecurity services will help protect data from being stolen.
Need Help?
We are ready to provide cybersecurity professional services using the most modern technological solutions. Contact us online today for helpful advice on supporting remote work and be 100% protected tomorrow.
