A primary risk for remote team management is security and protecting data in a work-from-home world can present a challenge. A business needs to understand the best security practices due to the rising popularity of remote work. We have seen a shift to remote work and efforts to reverse that trend have proven to be unpopular. The companies that have embraced remote work are reaping the rewards of flexibility and lower overheads. So, it is crucial that business owners understand these security challenges and the tools that can be used to overcome them.
What are the Risks?
A business that has shifted to remote work or is considering a pivot in the future will need to understand the cyber security risks. With numerous offsite contributors, there are more potential entry points that could be vulnerable to a cyber-attack.
A business with insufficient support could have intellectual property vulnerabilities and sensitive data could be at risk. A vulnerability assessment is necessary to understand, evaluate and mitigate potential risks.
If the remote work environment is not secure, the brand reputation can be damaged, there could be data breaches and financial losses are likely.
Here are seven of the most common security risks that any remote team must consider.
7. Stolen or Weak Credentials
One of the more prevalent security threats that a remote team can face is a weak or stolen password. If a remote employee consistently uses and reuses passwords across a number of platforms, they are vulnerable.
A cyber criminal can steal their credentials and use them to gain unauthorized access to multiple platforms at the same time. A password is still a main entry point for a hacker and all passwords must be managed and protected to guard against serious breaches.
6. Insecure Devices and Networks
A remote worker typically connects to the business using a personal device and a public WiFi network. These are both vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack where the hacker intercepts the data between the user and the system they are connected to.
A personal device is unlikely to be as secure as a corporate-issued machine making them vulnerable to ransomware, malware and other types of malicious software.
5. Phishing Attacks
This hacking technique is still a viable option, if there’s no face-to-face interaction to facilitate personal verification. In real terms, phishing is a greater threat for remote workers than those in a traditional office environment. The hacker will use counterfeit, messages, emails and URLs that may look legitimate.
Opening these messages or clicking the links may lead to malware downloads, loss of login details, stolen banking information and more.
4. Critical Information Access Issues
Allowing free access to sensitive company information for telecommuting is a considerable risk. An employee working from a remote location or their home may have confidential documents stored on their device or in the cloud. This exposes that data to accidental leaks and an increased risk of unauthorized access.
3. Third Party Vulnerabilities
Those working remotely tend to use third-party vendors and/or software-as-a-service companies for a wide range of jobs, such as: project management, communications and more. These third-party entities may have weak security protocols or bad vetting practices that present a security risk.
2. Weak Endpoint Protection
The devices that a remote worker uses to access the system of a business is unlikely to be properly secured. The lack of even a basic antivirus or encryption can lead to a malware infection, ransomware or a data breach.
1. Insufficient Staff Training
In many security breaches it’s human error that has played a pivotal role. All remote team members should be familiar with the best security practices and potential security risks. They should understand that they cannot use weak passwords, download random attachments and use public networks with insufficient protection.
Adopting a proactive approach to deal with these common security risks starts with an understanding of the key security features necessary for remote work.
What are the Essential Security Features for Privacy Software?
There are multiple tools on the market to improve data security for remote workers and some software is superior to others. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and many companies will have specific standards in mind when they create a reliable security framework. That said, there are some important features that should be considered before privacy software and other tools are adopted, including: access control, encryption capabilities and real.time monitoring. Let’s take a look at these three key features in more detail.
Access Control
This is crucial in a remote work scenario where an employee can be using their personal devices and/or sharing a network with others. The two fundamental approaches are: the Principle of Least Privilege (POLP) and Role-based Access Control (RBAC). These limit sensitive data access based on the role of the remote worker to reduce the risk of malicious or accidental exposure.
The best software may go further with granular access controls where an administrator can set detailed user permissions. These software tools need to operate with Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems to verify user identities and access rights from a single managed location. The ultimate in protection for remote work is a zero-trust security model where no user or device has an implied or default measure of trust.
Encryption Capabilities
Encryption will play a key role in the maintenance of confidentiality for data that’s stored locally on a personal device or that’s transmitted online. The solution for remote workers is end-to-end encryption to safeguard data between their devices and the company servers. This will offer protection even if the employee is using an unsecured network like the public WiFi, where they get their morning coffee.
The priority should be software that uses AES-256 or other advanced encryption methods that are regarded to be unbreakable using modern computers. The device encryption software will keep sensitive data stored on laptops or other devices secure even if that device is stolen or lost!
Real-Time Monitoring Tools
These have been a real leap forward for data security, an organization can now detect and respond to a potential threat before it escalates. This can minimize potential damage and it’s an ideal fit for remote employees.
These monitoring tools can identify unusual behaviour, such as: large data transfers, multiple failed login attempts and more. These types of actions are often caused by a security breach and these tools can provide insights that are actionable for a rapid resolution.
What is the Best Data Security Software for Remote Workers?
Modern security and privacy tools tend to be specialized and there are tools to meet a wide variety of needs. They can cover access control, device management, compliance, real-time monitoring, encryption and more. Some tools may meet one need and with others there can be some overlap to meet two or more needs.
To have comprehensive protection for your company or organization, it’s likely that you will need multiple tools. Let’s take a look at these software tools in more detail to showcase what they can do and offer some popular options.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) Platforms
These have gained popularity in recent years, they are used to encrypt internet traffic to disguise the IP address of the user and create a secure tunnel for data transfer. For remote work security, a VPN is the cornerstone because it can prevent data interception by hackers even on an unsecured public WiFi network.
The most popular VPNs for business users are Cisco AnyConnect and NordLayer which both have intuitive user interfaces, robust encryption and excellent integration with other security systems.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions
As we briefly mentioned above, an IAM solution will manage the user identities and access rights throughout an organization. They often have features, such as Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and centralized user management to enforce security policies. The two most popular IAM tools on the market at the time of writing this article are: Entra ID and Okta.
Endpoint Protection Software
This software will secure the devices that a remote worker will use to access the company network, such as: laptops, smartphones and tablets. The software will protect against ransomware, malware and other threats that could compromise data. The two most used endpoint protection software solutions are CrowdStrike Falcon and Symantec Endpoint Protection. They both offer device encryption, centralized management and advanced threat protection.
Cloud Security Tools
In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of cloud-based platforms that offer a great deal of utility for remote employees. So, protecting the data that’s stored in the cloud has become a priority with features, such as: access control, data loss prevention and advanced encryption.
The two frontrunners in this field are: Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud and Microsoft Defender for Cloud. They offer secure access management that a remote worker can use from anywhere.
Secure File Sharing
In remote work, the key to success is collaboration, but this cannot compromise security. So, secure file sharing with access control, audit trails and encryption is a priority for many organizations. Some popular solutions include: Citrix ShareFile, Box and Tresorit.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
This software is designed to prevent the accidental or intentional unauthorized leakage and sharing of sensitive data. The software tools utilize content inspection and policy enforcement to comply with the data protection regulations. Two excellent DLP choices are: McAfee Total Protection and Forcepoint DLP.
Email Security Platforms
As we mentioned earlier, emails are still a priority target for hackers and an email security platform offers protection against data leakage, malware and phishing. Two popular platforms to protect sensitive information are: Proofpoint and Mimecast.
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
These solutions facilitate continuous control and visibility of sensitive data across the organization, including: endpoint devices, on-premises storage and cloud storage services. This will ensure that the organization managers will know where the sensitive data is located, who is accessing it and how that data is used.
This is a valuable tool for remote working where the movement of data between devices and varying locations can become confusing and insecure. The three most popular DSPM solutions are: Qostodian, BigID and Wiz, Qostodian offers automated risk assessment, compliance monitoring and real-time monitoring features. BigID is an AI-powered tool used to identify and catalog data in on-premises and cloud environments. Wiz is primarily a cloud DSPM tool that can discover and label sensitive data, map attack paths and mitigate risks.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Tools
These add an additional layer of security to the user authentication process to make it harder for a hacker to gain access to the system. The best tools offer push notifications, biometric verification, real-time tracking and risk mitigation which are essential for secure remote working. Three popular MFA tools are: Qostodian, Google Authenticator and Duo Security.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
These tools are used to analyze and aggregate security data across the organization. They will offer actionable insights and real.time alerts to detect and respond to threats quickly. Two of the leading SIEM solutions at this time are: IBM QRadar and Splunk.
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
These management solutions help an organization to control and secure a device that an employee is using for their work. The typical feature set includes: device tracking, remote wipe and app management for remote workers. Two highly regarded MDM solutions in use today are: Microsoft Intune and VMware Workspace ONE.
5 Essential Security Practices for Remote Workers
Hopefully, we’ve impressed upon you the importance of security for any type of remote work setup. It’s vital to protect customer information and sensitive data to prevent loss and maintain the reputation of the organization.
The number of cybersecurity threats is rising and adopting a proactive posture to safeguard assets and data is the smart move. With more remote workers, software development teams and organizations must implement five essential security practices to protect their networks and data from potential threats.
Always Use a Reputable VPN Service
The VPN creates a virtual tunnel to connect a device to the network in a secure virtual space with a masked IP address with anonymity to protect privacy. For personal users, this can be used to unlock geo-specific streaming content and circumvent censorship. But, for remote workers this is a must-have tool to encrypt the internet connection to protect sensitive data from hackers. Any data is secured, it can’t be intercepted by a third party if a dependable VPN service is used.
A secure application gateway can be applied to act as a proxy to protect remote team members behind a firewall. This is especially important for employees that may be working with an unsecured network connection. This is the ideal way for an organization to monitor and improve security on devices used by remote workers.
Regular Software and Security Tools Updates
It’s important to have the latest updates and security patches for the software tools you’re using in your organization. Every team member should have automatic updates enabled for the apps and security tools they are required to use. This can offer up-to-date protection for networks and systems from identified vulnerabilities.
Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Using 2FA can ensure the integrity of the organization workflow. This is an effective access management approach to identify the user with two forms of identification. A common example would be a username and password followed by a one-time pin (OTP) to register a new device to access the network. The 2FA adds an extra layer of security that can present a significant challenge for unauthorized users and hackers.
Create a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan
Failing to plan is planning to fail and this is extremely pertinent when it comes to protecting data for two reasons. First, the plan will provide a useful overview of the security protocols and map the tools and applications you’re using to access the data.
Second, the plan should include mitigation steps and risk management to protect against transgressions and potential system issues that could derail the organization. Creating a backup and recovery plan will ensure that the systems and data can be quickly restored during a security breach or emergency scenario.
Educate Employees
Any organization could implement some or all of the security practices discussed in this article and ultimately fail if the employees are not educated and involved. This is especially true with remote workers that can sometimes be left out of the loop. Conduct some research on the tools that work for your organization and consult with IT administration professionals to map out what you need for the remote systems.
Identify the best security practices for the remote teams and highlight the potential risks. Ensure that the employees understand the importance of password security, not clicking suspicious attachments and links and not sharing login details.
All remote teams need to understand the importance of cyber security to protect and maintain the integrity of the organization. A regular audit of security practices will be essential to identify and fix vulnerabilities in the security umbrella. If you’re not sure where to start, use a VPN as a foundational tool for enhanced privacy and data encryption.
