Lots of businesses are starting to realize some of the benefits remote work has to offer and some are considering moving to remote or hybrid work indefinitely. As a matter of fact, it’s estimated that about 25% of all jobs will be remote by the end of the year and the trend is set to continue well into 2023.
However, one of the issues with remote work is the lack of monitoring. The freedom remote work gives to employees and the reliance on remote work tools increases cyber security risks and could put your whole operation in jeopardy if nothing is done to mitigate them. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest security challenges of remote work and how to overcome them.
Lack of Visibility
Your employees need to be able to access your database and look, modify, or add files when they need to. But you also need to control what they have access to and when. Controlling access to certain files and folders is relatively easy; it’s the “when” part that’s often the challenge for businesses.
If want you to have tighter control over access and monitor file transfers better, you’ll need to set up a secure file sharing solution. If you want an example of one, check out the following link: https://www.globalscape.com/solutions/secure-file-sharing.
A system like this will allow your IT personnel to have a view of what’s happening over the network. They will know who is accessing what from where and identify suspicious activity fast. They will be able to monitor it in real-time and thwart attacks that may be in progress or track them later for forensics purposes.
Mismanagement of Devices
Another major challenge of remote work is managing the devices your employees use. One of the main issues is security gaps between devices. Some devices might be easier to break into and put your whole network at risk. You also have to deal with things like lost devices. A lost device could be very dangerous to your organization and allow malicious agents to steal sensitive data on your business, your employees, or your clients.
The best thing you could do here would be to provide the devices yourself. This will ensure uniformity and allow you to apply updates en masse to eliminate security gaps. Next, you need to have a strict protocol for lost devices and make sure that all your employees’ devices are traceable.
Social Engineering Attacks
All businesses should worry about social engineering attacks, but it becomes even more of a risk when teams work remotely and can’t physically verify that someone sent a message. This is why you need to have a verification protocol for any message asking for sensitive information. You could simply ask employees to give the sender a voice or video call to confirm that they sent a message and verify what was asked for. Doing this alone while equipping yourself with strong anti-phishing tools will almost eradicate the problem.
If you are thinking of making the jump to remote work, you need to watch out for these threats. Cybercriminals love to target remote workplaces, so be careful, and make sure that your employees are properly trained to sniff out attacks and reduce risks.
