Top security risks of remote working (and how to prevent them)

When your employees aren’t working under one roof, controlling cybersecurity measures can be tricky, making your company seriously more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Knowing how remote working increases cybersecurity risks can help you implement a robust protection plan. These risks can include:

• IT teams are struggling to ensure remote devices are updated and secure, leading to delayed security updates, incorrect configurations, or improper maintenance of remote access connections.
• Not having a centralized network makes it incredibly difficult to monitor and control access to sensitive information.
• Employees using personal devices that don’t have the same security controls as company-issued devices are more vulnerable to phishing and malware attacks.
• Workers accessing unsecured networks and routers provide easy entry points for hackers to compromise the company’s entire network.
• Employees lacking direct oversight or in-person verification are more susceptible to human error, such as clicking malicious email links.

By impersonating someone you trust, such as a co-worker, vendor, or bank employee, social engineering attacks try to manipulate you into handing over sensitive information or large amounts of money.

These sophisticated cyberattacks can come in a few forms:

• Phishing uses credible-looking emails to coerce someone into sharing confidential information or clicking malicious links that allow ransomware to access their computer or the company’s entire network.
• Spear phishing is a highly personalized form of phishing that uses tailored messages to appear more legitimate with the hopes of obtaining sensitive information, such as passwords and other login credentials.
• Vishing, also known as voice phishing, uses phone calls meant to trick people into giving out sensitive information.
• Smishing, or SMS phishing, uses text messages to manipulate individuals into clicking on malicious links or giving access to private information.

With the rise in remote workers, phishing scams have substantially increased, emerging as one of today’s top cyber threats across email, social media, and text messaging platforms.

We all know it’s a lot easier to keep track of one tennis ball versus twenty. But if you make that tennis ball bright pink, it’s going to be a lot easier for someone else to catch it.

The same can be said for passwords. Using one generically worded password across all devices and accounts makes it a bright, bold target for lurking cybercriminals.

Here are a few popular ways employees weaken their passwords:

• Using the same password across multiple business accounts
• Using the same password on business and personal devices
• Creating passwords with personal information or common phrases
• Ignoring the reminders to update their password
• Updating only one character in their password each time, such as changing an exclamation point to a period, to an ampersand

Without a strong password and good cyber hygiene, hackers can launch brute force attacks to quickly crack your credentials. Assisted by special software or bots, these cybercriminals use a trial-and-error approach to rapidly test millions of passwords per second until they land on the right one.

Your company’s chances of having a cyberattack increase dramatically when employees work on their own devices. This can be from a variety of factors, including:

• Lacking business-grade security features, such as advanced firewalls and anti-virus software
• Using an outdated operating system (OS) or applications
• Mixing personal and company information makes it harder to secure sensitive data and easier to share it with outside parties
• Limiting IT’s visibility into your system’s security protocols and network activity

To make work easier, some employees will download software or use devices they prefer without getting the IT department’s approval. This practice, known as shadow IT, significantly increases the risk of data breaches, malware infections, and compliance violations.

Here are a few common shadow IT scenarios:

• Storing work data on unapproved cloud storage systems, such as personal Dropbox or Google Drive accounts
• Accessing company networks and downloading information on personal laptops, smartphones, and other devices
• Discussing work-related topics or file-sharing over unapproved collaboration tools, such as WhatsApp or Slack
• Leveraging unapproved software, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and productivity apps such as Canva or Grammarly

Between unhappy employees and unintentional errors, sometimes the biggest cybersecurity risks are within the organization. Here are a few ways your employees can become security threats:

• Resentful employees who are seeking revenge or have been financially incentivized may intentionally steal, share, or damage company data.
• Multi-tasking team members might accidentally send sensitive information to the wrong person or click on a malicious email link.
• Employees who are unaware of the dangers of phishing attacks and weak passwords might neglect important security policies.

• Schedule regular, mandatory training sessions on security best practices, including how to spot phishing attempts and maintain good cyber hygiene.
• Implement a clear response plan so employees can quickly and easily report security incidents.

• Use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt data and provide a more secure connection to the company network from public or home Wi-Fi.
• Implement strong, unique password policies and offer password manager tools to help employees safely create and store credentials.
• Add an extra layer of security, in addition to passwords, by requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all company logins.

• Provide company-secured laptops, smartphones, and other necessary devices.
• Ensure all devices have the latest anti-virus software, firewalls, and operating system patches.
• Enforce software update deadlines and enable automatic updates so employee devices stay current.
• Introduce security features such as remote wiping, so employees or security teams can erase sensitive data from a stolen device.

• Limit employee access to sensitive data based on roles and responsibilities.
• Provide encrypted, company-approved communication tools so remote employees can securely discuss and share sensitive information.
• Regularly monitor network activity and conduct cybersecurity audits to understand the effectiveness of your security protocols.