Working from home increases cyber-security fears

9th February 2021 | Posted in Cyber Security

Companies are constantly facing cyber-attacks, and staff working from home can make them more vulnerable.

As reported by the BBC, businesses have increased fears over the risk of cyber threats to their staff working from home. With one in three UK workers currently based at home, remote working on such a scale continues to be a major headache for IT departments of companies ranging from SMEs to corporates. Studies show that many firms are not taking the issue as seriously as they should. For example, one in five UK home workers has received no training on cyber-security, according to a recent survey by legal firm Hayes Connor Solicitors. Another separate UK study found that 57% of IT decision-makers believe that remote workers will expose their firm to the risk of a data breach. In the rush and panic to set up remote working, many data protection practices were ignored, and companies did not provide additional security relating to computers, electronic communication, or phone communication.

What can businesses do to mitigate risk?

With more people being asked to work from home, companies are presented with a host of difficulties including IT issues and cyber risks to network infrastructures. The following is a list of secure remote working methods that can be implemented to assist your efforts.

• Enable 2FA on email systems and cloud platforms: Many companies now use Office 365 and G-Suite for their daily work, and this is a great way to allow remote working as all data is accessible from any location. Make sure two-factor authentication is enabled on all cloud services that support it, as this protects against malicious third-party access to your data. You can also employ secure DNS servers or secure VPN servers to secure your internet traffic when connecting to cloud services from insecure locations such as airports and coffee shops.
• Remote Server Access: If your data is not in the cloud but on local servers in your office, then it is recommended to use a secure VPN service to connect remote laptops to your office servers in a safe and secure manner. The secure VPN service allows remote laptops and desktops to operate as if they were located in the office premises.
• Remote Desktop Services: If your company has mostly desktop computers and it is not logistically possible for staff members to take the equipment home then utilizing secure remote desktop services such as LogMeIn, Team Viewer or Splashtop may be the solution. This remote access software allows you to access your office computer securely from any location and use it as if you were sitting at your desk. This allows internal servers and services to be accessed in a safe and secure manner.
• Remote Computer Backups: If your business suffered a critical disruption, such as a ransomware attack, how quickly could you recover? What data would you lose? And more importantly, at what cost? Introducing remote computer backups to the cloud is a sure-fire way of protecting your data, especially during any unplanned downtime.

Dark Web Scanning

Businesses depend on their digital credentials for daily operations. These credentials, such as usernames and passwords, connect businesses and their employees to online services and critical applications, allowing access to intellectual property, financial information, and client data. Far too often, companies that have had their credentials compromised and sold on the Dark Web do not know it until they have been either informed by the authorities or suffer a data breach. Dark Web scanning and monitoring can identify publicly available compromised passwords with a comprehensive search. Pro-actively running these scans can give you peace of mind that no company credentials have been compromised, and if they have, you can act quickly to mitigate the threat.

Cyber Security Training

Our Cyber Awareness training comprises of simulated phishing attacks and weekly short training videos on common Cyber Security issues that can lead to data breaches. The training videos are delivered via email, are only a few minutes long and combined with a short set of multiple-choice questions to ensure the video content has been viewed.

How CYFOR Secure can help

CYFOR Secure offer a range of services design to support companies while simultaneously mitigating cyber threats. We can facilitate all the services mentioned in this article, ensuring maximum support and confidence. Our remote support capability enables secure remote desktop access to your computer(s), while automatically routing all your Internet requests through our secure DNS servers to protect you when working from unknown locations. If you are concerned about home working and cyber risks, then please contact the CYFOR Secure team today.

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