July 8, 2024
How Remote Working Impacts Cybersecurity
Types of Security Risks with Working From Home
1. Preparing Against Phishing Attacks
2. How Unsecured Wi-Fi Networks pose a risk
3. Weak Passwords Are Easily Cracked
4. Overcoming Device Loss or Theft
The rise in remote work has transformed the modern workplace, offering unprecedented flexibility for employees. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 accelerated this shift, pushing businesses to adapt to new ways of working virtually overnight.
While remote work has become a norm for many, providing a better work-life balance and eliminating the daily commute, it has also introduced a range of new cybersecurity challenges that businesses must address to protect sensitive information and maintain operational integrity.
This blog highlights five significant cybersecurity risks faced by remote employees and provides strategies to mitigate them.
Phishing attacks involve fraudulent emails or messages designed to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links. Remote employees are particularly vulnerable to these attacks due to the lack of direct IT oversight and potential isolation from their teams. This is particularly true if employees use personal emails for work. To mitigate these risks, businesses should conduct regular training sessions to help employees recognise phishing attempts and respond appropriately.
Along with training, advanced email filtering systems can detect and block phishing emails before they reach employees' inboxes. This can be achieved through company-controlled email software such as Microsoft Outlook. By utilising Microsoft Outlook, organisations can take advantage of built-in security features like Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), which scans and filters emails for malicious links and attachments. We have put together a guide on how to recognise and stay away from spam or phishing emails that could jeopardise your online security which you can read here to further prepare yourself.
Outlook also allows for the implementation of custom security policies, enabling IT administrators to enforce rules that further protect against phishing attempts. These policies can include multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption, and automated compliance checks, ensuring that only secure and verified communications reach employees.
Using public or home Wi-Fi networks can expose remote workers to cyber threats, as these networks are often less secure than business Wi-Fi and easier for hackers to breach. Unsecured Wi-Fi can lead to unauthorised access to sensitive company data and communication.
To counter this, employers should encourage employees to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), such as those provided by Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, which encrypt internet connections and provide secure access to company resources. Advising employees to avoid using public Wi-Fi networks or, if necessary, to use personal hotspots instead, and guiding them on setting up secure home Wi-Fi networks with strong passwords and encryption are essential steps in mitigating these risks.
Strengthening home networks also involves enabling network encryption, which can be adjusted in the router's wireless configuration settings. The strongest encryption setting available on most routers is Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2). Additional security measures include restricting access to specific media access control (MAC) addresses and ensuring the router always runs the latest firmware version.
Weak passwords pose a significant risk as they can be easily guessed or cracked by cybercriminals using brute force attacks, leading to unauthorised access to company systems and data. Enforcing strong password policies that require complexity, length, and uniqueness for all accounts is crucial.
Encouraging the use of password managers, supported by tools like Azure Active Directory to generate and store strong, unique passwords securely, and implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) with Microsoft Authenticator adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification before granting access.
Multi-factor authentication is one of the best and easiest security measures to set up. We have a guide on everything you need to know about MFA and and the different ways you can implement it here.
Remote employees often work from various locations, increasing the risk of device theft. Lost or stolen devices can lead to unauthorised access to company information and data breaches. To protect against this, businesses should use encryption to safeguard data on all devices, making it inaccessible without the proper credentials.
Enabling remote wipe capabilities through solutions like Microsoft Intune to erase data from lost or stolen devices and encouraging employees to adopt physical security practices, such as not leaving devices unattended in public places, are also vital measures.
You can find out more about device safety recommendations when travelling under the Essential Eight from the Australian Cyber Security Centre here. It goes into detail about how to best protect corporate and personal laptops, phones, tablets and any associated removable media, such as USB drives and SD cards while on the move.
Without proper cybersecurity training, remote employees might be unaware of the risks and how to avoid them, leading to unintentional security breaches. Conducting ongoing training to keep employees informed about the latest threats and security best practices is essential.
Providing continuous updates on emerging threats and recommended actions to mitigate them, along with regularly testing employees with simulated phishing attacks using tools like Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to reinforce training and improve their ability to recognise and respond to real threats, are effective strategies to enhance cybersecurity awareness.
Attack simulation training can help educate your employees and change their potentially risky behaviour. Find out how our experts can create, execute, and manage realistic phishing simulations using Microsoft Defender for Microsoft 365 by reading our article on simulation training here.
Hybrid and remote working is here to stay. It’s therefore essential that companies understand the increased risk and implement the necessary measures to prevent cyber attacks or data breaches with their employees who work outside the office.
Addressing all the risks mentioned in this article can assist with protecting sensitive company and employee data, but continuous improvement and risk awareness are critical. As cybercriminals improve their techniques and adapt, companies have to do the same.
Superior IT specialises in deploying and optimising cybersecurity solutions tailored to your unique business needs. Our team is dedicated to guiding you through the process of implementing robust security measures, ensuring your data remains protected and your business stays compliant with industry standards. Contact us today to discover how our cybersecurity expertise can safeguard your business and elevate your operational resilience.
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