4 Keys To Mitigate Remote Work Security Vulnerabilities
Luy is the founder and CEO of IT Support Guys, an MSP with over 16 years of experience, specializing in cloud and cybersecurity solutions.
As remote and hybrid work has become more popular in today’s workforce, there is a reasonable concern about its side effects. The fact of the matter is that remote work puts organizations’ cybersecurity at risk if safeguards are not put in place to prevent it.
Not only does the number of cyberattacks increase on remote workers by 238%, but the cost of a data breach goes up $1 million with remote workers involved.
If remote workers must access company data, there is a good chance they are doing so from an unsecured network. What’s more is if they are logging into that network with personal, unsecured devices.
These aren’t the only vulnerabilities brought on by remote work, either. In this article, we’ll outline four key factors that mitigate most threats brought on by remote work.
1. Network And Endpoint Security
Securing networks and devices (or endpoints) is an absolute must before allowing remote work, as they are the entry points for most data breaches.
For networks, consider using remote access security conventions like a VPN with encryption to protect data in transit.
The simplest way to secure endpoints begins with issuing corporate-owned devices for your workforce. By doing this, you guarantee that each device is fit with your preferred security measures. With employees logging in through personal devices, there is no assurance that they are enabling anti-virus software, firewalls or encryption.
Additionally, devices should be secured with a mobile device management (MDM) system, which we’ll touch on a little later.
For both networks and devices, ensure all hardware and software are updated with the latest security updates. Be sure to audit the security of your network and corporate-issued devices often to identify potential vulnerabilities as soon as possible.
2. Identity And Access Management
You wouldn’t let anybody off the streets walk into the private areas of your business. You also wouldn’t let anybody in the world access your data, right?
Identity and access management ties users to devices and forces the user to authenticate themselves before accessing authorized data or resources. Administrators assign access to different groups or identities through directory services or an MDM solution, which is then pushed out to all users and devices in your organization.
MDM can also provide admins with the remote wipe feature in case a laptop or mobile device with company data is lost or stolen. Because of the lack of a physical security perimeter for remote workers, or the potential to work outside their homes, the likelihood of a lost or stolen device goes up.
Security templates for future hires can be combined into group policies or role-based access, which can be easily applied during onboarding.
Users can authenticate through the traditional username and password standard, but organizations should bolster security with multifactor authentication (MFA). This is when other layers of security are added to the authentication process—like something the employee has (an application on a device) or is (like a fingerprint.)
3. Security Awareness Training
Ninety-five percent of data breaches are due to human error, according to the World Economic Forum.
No organization’s cybersecurity efforts are complete without comprehensive security awareness training for employees. An organization’s cybersecurity is only as strong as its least security-conscious employee.
Consistent cybersecurity training is important to get employees up to date on best practices but also keep them updated on an ever-changing landscape. It is also important to keep remote employees briefed on the specific threats posed to them.
As part of company-wide training, consider finding a phishing simulation vendor. This way, employees can be actively engaged in executing what they learned in training. Phishing simulations, when failed, also alert admins to employees who are susceptible to real attempts. With this knowledge, extra training can be administered to shore up any holes in your defense.
Security training can help reinforce your company’s security policies, providing the reasoning for these decisions, as well as tips to abide by them.
4. Proactive Monitoring And Alerts
With all your security measures and training intact, you are now best prepared against a cyberattack. Unfortunately, that does not mean it will never happen.
Statistically, it probably still will. A study at the University of Maryland found that 2,200 cyberattacks were happening each day. That number has likely only grown. It is best to prepare for the inevitability of a cyberattack, which means proactive monitoring and alerts.
It is important to have intrusion detection for your network and endpoints, as these are the entry points for intruders. If you are using a cloud collaboration platform, it should also be equipped with some sort of proactive monitoring.
Proactive monitoring can take different forms so long as it alerts administrators to potential unauthorized access or malicious activity. These processes should be automated to mitigate the possibility of human error.
One example of great proactive monitoring is geofencing, or impossible travel alerts, where an admin is alerted when a login attempt happens from a suspicious location. Admins can tie users and identities to a certain geographical area, so if they appear to log in from a different part of the world, they are flagged. This is especially helpful if an account login is made from New York and another is made from London within the hour.
These types of alerts are especially important for certain compliance standards like PCI-DSS, where security breaches can cost organizations heavily.
Conclusion
While remote work is not ideal from a cybersecurity standpoint, the benefits on employee morale and efficiency can be well worth it. Business owners must understand what they are up against and how to mitigate it.
Luckily there are measures in place to protect against the threats brought upon by remote work. The more unfortunate part is that these measures are more of a requirement than a suggestion.
These measures are just a baseline for remote work security, but by implementing them all, organizations are much more able to prevent and react to cyberattacks.
