In today’s world, companies have transformed themselves into modern culture. The percentage of staff working remotely is increasing day by day. Companies are looking for a remote working style as a future. People have already been working from their homes and giving full time to their work around the world. Working from home has become necessary for many organizations to recruit talent and create new business continuity plans.
While everything comes with new challenges, remote working has its benefits, but its biggest challenge is cybersecurity. People working for the organization have their privacy at risk, but remote working could also be a problem for the company’s security like data protection, network security. Remote working bypasses the security protocols compared to the office, as companies have their working security prevention layers.
Working from home leaves the cybersecurity risk high for the companies, as the additional security layers are essential to protect them from cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity is a critical issue for organizations because of the sensitive data and confidential information involved and the risk of being hacked by unethical users. The security of such jobs is adequate to an extent with significant limitations. Network engineers work on the hardware to have a better knowledge of security threats.
Below the article will show you the essential improvements one can adapt to make a secure environment for remote users.
Use antivirus and internet security software at home
If you’re working from home, then it is better to invest in a comprehensive antivirus suite for you and your employees. According to reports, the estimated global damage to businesses due to cybercrime is around $1.5 billion per annum. This damage is likely to increase as hackers look to exploit business VPNs and people’s home internet networks to gain access to sensitive information.
These attacks could leave you and your employees open to DDoS attacks, malware, spyware, ransomware attacks, and other types of breaches.
To counter such attacks, cybersecurity officials suggest using antivirus suites; they take the hard work off your hands and provide automatic remote work security against a host of threats, including:
- Zero-day attacks
- Spyware, malware, and viruses
- Worms and trojans
- Phishing scams, including those sent via email.
Antivirus suites run discreetly in the background, so you won’t even notice the hard work it’s doing.
Implement two-factor authentication
If you’re adding more remote access solutions, consider adding two-factor authentication. If you’re planning to add 2FA solutions to existing on-premises remote access solutions, then DUO.com is the best option. DUO.com can easily add 2FA to RDGateway and remote web access solutions. While your company may need to move your staff to work remotely quickly, you can still ensure that only those admins and users are allowed in and not any attackers.
Remind your staff to keep their devices safe
While you may trust yourself and your employees to keep themselves safe online, it is worth remembering that remote working means company PCs are more likely to be exposed to other members of employees’ families, including children.
Therefore, it is essential to remind your staff to keep family members away from work devices and not allow them to access their work laptops, mobiles, and other hardware forms.
Other than that, also remind them of the importance of password protecting their devices to prevent hackers from accessing sensitive files.
Use a virtual private network (VPN)
Working from home often means connecting your systems to the company’s virtual private network, but it creates a new home office safety “back doors” that hackers could potentially expose.
As an employer, you need to provide employees with work from home security tips and guidance on being a secure remote worker. Firms should try their best to make their VPN more secure.
VPN security can be improved by opting for the most robust possible authentication method. Many VPNs use usernames and passwords but think of upgrading to the use of smart cards. Enhance your encryption method for VPN access, such as upgrading to a Layer two tunneling protocol from a Point-to-Point tunneling protocol.
No matter how strong your VPN is: if an employee’s password is compromised, it will provide an easy way to the hackers. That’s why it is essential to ensure employees are updating their passwords regularly. Always remind your employees only to use the VPN when they need it. Switch it off when they use their work devices for personal use in the evenings or on weekends.
Other than that, you also need to teach employees how to configure their wireless routers and personal firewalls and keep their home network secure.
Make sure your passwords are strong and secure
One of the simplest ways to protect yourself when working from home is to strengthen your passwords and ensure a maximized password protection across your devices.
It is advised by The US Federal Trade Commission to use passwords on all apps and devices: at least 12 characters that are a mix of symbols, numbers, and capital and lower-case letters.
They also suggest adding a password screen every time you access your laptop and other devices so that if your device falls into the wrong hands, it will be tough for them to access your sensitive files.
You can also use a password manager tool that can keep all your passwords secure.
Summary
Security is the critical component in remote working. Companies with the latest technologies and good policies will help build the trust that each employee who is working has the maximum security level provided by the company to avoid any inconvenience. Working from home policies can be enforced with both technical and administrative controls. People working from home need to ensure that they follow the guidelines to ensure smooth working without involving any cybersecurity risk.
As remote working will be the first choice of many organizations, the cybersecurity risk will be configured and set up for the remote employees. The security risk awareness will also help the employees to act safely with other corporate devices. Companies should make new policies regarding cybersecurity and conduct training sessions for the newly hired remote employees to get awareness about cybersecurity risk.
