The international advisory asking employees to work from their homes during the testing period of the COVID-19 pandemic has been issued. This lockdown has led to thousands of employees working from home, opening the door to cyber security threats.
Many industry experts believe that if more than half of employees work from home at least 2.5 days per semaine, there is a greater threat to the IT infrastructures of various organizations. Multiple surveys have shown that employees are the greatest threat to cyber security in companies around the globe. Nearly half of all companies that have suffered security breaches have attributed the incident to human error or accidental loss by their employees.
The root cause
Hackers have the ability to gain access to any corporate network login. Although these can be reduced if laptops provided by companies are protected with proper security measures, hackers can still exploit several holes in this arrangement. Personal laptops are more problematic as security teams can’t track malicious activity. New platforms are introduced that require employees to set up their own security systems, as they will likely use their own devices while working remotely. There is no end in sight to the pandemic situation, so it is crucial for organisations to ensure cyber security for remote workers.
How can remote workers be protected?
Given the system’s vulnerabilities, how can companies operate during this period hack-proof? These are some possible solutions and suggestions that employees and companies can implement to ensure smooth, hack-free operation.
During this period, the Chief Information Security Office’s (CISO) responsibilities become extremely important. Stability can be achieved through appropriate risk management and careful assessment of the organisation’s security.
Employees should avoid entering into uncharted partnerships or interactions with vendors to support their network needs.
Experts recommend that you update your passwords regularly, use paid virtual private networks, and multi-factor authentication.
Employees can use personal home router kits to increase security for their network. It is also a good idea to ensure that the router’s firmware is up-to-date.
It is also a smart idea to keep your privacy and avoid downloading suspicious content that may be infected by malware.
As we have seen, IT staff have become more responsible over the years. They must continue to improve their skills to meet the challenges. Infosectrain offers webinars and courses that can help cyber security professionals deal with the increased workload.