How Do You Maintain Secure Remote Working?

Remote working refers to working from home or a different location. Due to the evolution of technology, employees can now work from any location. Remote working offers flexibility in terms of work and life balance. Employers can save on expenses and have a wide range of skilled employees. 

However, there are certain threats or dangers to remote working. Remote work has its own set of difficulties, like obstacles in communication, security threats, and employees feeling isolated. In this article, we will learn about managing secure remote work.

Statistics on Remote Working

According to the Boundless survey done on 2109 people in 2023, 27.45% wanted to work from home. 18.03 percent of respondents wanted a hybrid work environment.

Threats to Remote Working

The cost of a data breach, as per IBM, states that in 2024, the global average data breach cost will reach $4.45 million, which shows a 15% increase in the last three years. Cybercrime has always been an issue for remote employees. Poor network security, lack of knowledge, lack of employee training and IT support, and unauthorized access are a few reasons that could put them at the target of cyber attackers. To overcome these risky situations, a few simple practices can give you peace of mind and secure the environment for remote employees.

Best Practices for Secure Remote Working

Authentication

Authentication should be a priority for remote employees, as specific access to data and other information is required. An organization should give limited access to remote workers. Companies can apply strong password policies, multifactor authentication, VPNs, and identity and access management technologies to make authentication robust for remote environments. By doing so, organizations can minimize the risk involved in remote working.

BYOD Policy

A BYOD (Bring Your Device) policy should be implemented across an organization. However, BYOD brings its own opportunities and challenges. Flexibility, cost savings, and employee satisfaction are a few advantages that BYOD provides. On the other hand, there are compliance issues, security risks, increasing support costs, and compatibility issues for the IT department. The global market for BYOD and enterprise mobility is estimated to reach $296.4 billion by 2030.

Make sure that employees use employer-supplied devices. Sometimes BYOD policies can welcome attackers, as they can be an easy entry point for attackers. Employees should open websites that have an installed SSL certificate on their server, as they are safe to open. An organization can use mobile device management software to monitor remote devices. It can also wipe remote data in case it is lost.

Monitoring

Remote employee monitoring is necessary, as it makes organizations aware of their online activity. How are employees accessing information or files? Certain cloud-based tools can help organizations monitor employees’ activities. Such tools give insight into employees’ actions and maintain accountability. Monitoring tools create a sense of responsibility in employees, and they become more productive.

Security Consideration

Creating a strong security strategy customized for remote work is crucial for protecting company assets, data, and activities. There are a few components involved in security policy for remote environments, like access control, secure connections, device management, training, physical security, data protection, immediate response to incidents, and security policy review and update. The organization should document a security policy catering to different departments. Organizations should conduct training and workshops to make employees understand security policies.

Organizations looking to enhance their remote work security strategies might also consider implementing advanced measures such as leveraging Software Bill of Material (SBOM) in cybersecurity. Understanding SBOMs and their role in identifying and managing software components can provide an additional layer of security against vulnerabilities.

System Update

Frequent system updates improve functionality and keep bugs and vulnerabilities out of the system. Security patches, compatibility with new software patches, and feature enhancements come with the latest software update. Employees should enable automatic software updates on their PCs. The organization should communicate with remote employees about the schedule of updates and guidelines. Before running the final update, it should be tested on a smaller subset of devices. Remote employees should back up their data before conducting a major update.

Use of VPN

The Virtual Private Network, or VPN, gives remote workers a dependable and secure connection, ensuring secure remote working. VPN offers integrity, confidentiality, and the availability of corporate data. Remote workers can securely access files, applications, and intranet sites using a VPN. VPN masks IP addresses so remote employees can access resources that are geographically restricted.

Use of weak passwords

Remote workers should change their system passwords regularly to avoid breaches. Poor security protocols and ignorance of security can make remote employees targets of hackers. Hackers can find and crack weak passwords easily. Organizations and employees can use an automatic password generator to create secure passwords. Even password managers can help with password safety.

Avoid Phishing Emails

Remote employees should be aware of phishing emails, as they can penetrate your system and steal data. Do not click on unsolicited or suspicious emails. It may have a Trojan or virus that can enter your system and start the process in the background without your awareness. Such suspicious mail, once clicked, can welcome cyber attackers. Employees should not enter their login credentials on any random websites. The IT department should provide training to remote employees about such phishing frauds.

Unsecure Wi-Fi

Remote employees can work from anywhere, and they sometimes use insecure Wi-Fi connections at coffee shops or any public place. Hackers target such a Wi-Fi spot and act as an intermediary when employees try to connect to the desired server. They pretend to be a legit person to whom employees want to connect and gather all data or information. To avoid such a situation, use secure and individual Wi-Fi with a strong password.

Conclusion

Constant attentiveness is needed to safeguard cybersecurity among remote workers. Constant vigilance is necessary for cybersecurity among remote workers. Integrating remote work access security into employees’ continuous training and workplace culture is essential. A united team committed to security is needed to oversee, block, and address security breaches.