In the past few years, a large number of businesses have granted their employees the ability to work remotely. After all, remote work means less expenses for the employer and less hassle for the employees.
Unfortunately, remote work can also open up businesses to increased cybersecurity risks. If you have employees working remotely, make sure you are following our top tips for practicing cybersecurity for remote workers.
Understanding the Risks in Cybersecurity for Remote Workers
There are several key factors that can make your business more vulnerable to cyber threats if you don’t follow top remote work security tips. These include:
- Employees using personal devices to connect to the work network. These devices lack the number of security features installed on work devices, making them more sensitive to malware. For example, they may not have an antivirus or end-to-end encryption.
- Unsecured wireless networks. This can lead to data interception if they don’t have the necessary protection measures. For example, unsecured networks can have their online activity recorded and used against the company.
- Phishing scams. This is a more easily avoidable risk, which you may eliminate altogether by holding educational workshops on cybersecurity when working from home. Phishing scams can involve fraudulent emails, texts, or calls to employees with the goal of stealing company data.
- Uncontrolled access points. This is a big problem for companies with a large number of employees accessing sensitive information like clients’ websites and social media accounts. Without tailored access for each employee, you run the risk of having unauthorized users steal the data.
- Compliance Violations. This is another critical issue for remote workers. Without proper monitoring and procedures in place, employees may accidentally fail to follow data protection protocols, resulting in penalties or lawsuits.
IT teams and companies must understand these potential risk factors and how they have the potential to impact business cybersecurity. Working from home introduces unique risks and threats, but effective teams can help decrease those risks.
Cyber Security Tips for Working From Home
Let’s look at some ways you can practice cybersecurity for remote workers:
1. Educate Employees
One of the most effective things you can do to help protect your business is to provide adequate cybersecurity education. Whether employees are working from home or in the office, they carry a level of risk—not because of deliberate malice, but because they may inadvertently allow a risk to occur. Employees need to understand:
- How to secure their networks
- How to ensure that their personal devices remain malware-free
- How to spot scams and scammers and avoid falling prey to their schemes
- What to do if they suspect their security has been compromised.
Keep in mind that many employees may take actions at home that they do not consider threats. This may include family members using their work devices, for example, or leaving their devices logged in while they go about their day since they have the security of being at home.
Virtual training sessions can help keep remote workers informed about the latest measures your company requires and ensure that they’re prepared to maintain virtual security while working from home.
2. Create Effective Security Protocols
Educating your workers is a vital first step, but it’s not the only step your business needs to take. You should also take the steps necessary to create a highly effective security protocol that will maintain as much safety as possible for your business.
3. Require Secure Passwords
Passwords help protect your business’s data and ensure that only chosen people can gain access to your systems. Institute security policies that require secure passwords. If possible, consider implementing the use of a password manager across your company to increase overall password security.
4. Use Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor authentication relies on more than just a password to help keep your users and your system secure. In addition to entering their password, users must also verify their identity by proving they have access to a device linked to their account—typically a mobile phone. This adds a few extra steps to the authentication process and helps increase overall security.
5. Use Secure Application Gateways
Secure application gateways protect company apps from unauthorized access. They act as a barrier between the user and the application and typically include security features like multi-factor authentication. So, if your employees have access to your apps and tools, make sure to implement these gateways.
6. Forbid Access From Unsecured Networks
Employees may need to work remotely, but that does not mean they can work from a random location. Coffee shops, libraries, and other public locations may provide unsecured public WiFi, which can entice scammers and hackers. Even using an unsecured network at home can increase the risk of a cybersecurity threat. By forbidding access to your company network when remote workers use an unsecured network to log in, you can increase your overall security.
7. Track Access
Even with full employee education and other security measures clearly put in place, you may face cyber threats. Make sure your security team monitors user access, including monitoring any unusual activity on the network. This simple action can put your team in a position to catch a threat before it has a chance to become more serious.
8. Check Your BYOD Policy
Many companies have instituted Bring Your Own Device policies. These policies make users responsible for their own devices, including cell phones or other equipment, while also allowing employees to choose the exact model they want to use rather than being forced into the one the company chooses due to budget constraints.
BYOD policies, however, can pose security risks, especially when employees make the shift to working from home. When employees provide their own devices, they may assume that they can choose how they want to use that device, even if it means that their personal activities take place on the same network as their work devices.
While cell phones are usually personal devices, laptops and computers may be shared between members of the family, especially if the kids want to do some browsing after work hours. As a result, users may invite more security threats.
Take a close look at your company’s device policy, and make sure that it fits your current needs, including your security needs.
Frontline: 24/7 Cybersecurity for Remote Workers
Maintaining IT security for remote workers becomes increasingly challenging when workers take care of most of their duties remotely. That does not necessarily mean that you cannot protect company networks and keep them as safe as possible.
Do you need more help making the shift to a remote environment or ensuring that remote workers have the support they need to take care of their job duties? Contact us today to learn more about how Frontline can help.
FAQs
How do you maintain cybersecurity for remote workers?
You can maintain cybersecurity in a home office by providing employees with specific access controls, work devices, and company emails that have more layers of security. Additionally, you can educate your employees on the importance of internet safety when working from home.
How does remote work affect cybersecurity?
Remote work can make employees more susceptible to cyber threats. However, with the right protection protocols in place, there’s nothing employers should worry about.