Maintaining Cybersecurity While Working Remotely

When a business provides remote work opportunities, it has more networks, software, and endpoints to manage and protect. That naturally translates to increased cyberattack surfaces.

Learn how remote working increases your firm’s cybersecurity risks — and what your remote team can do to improve its cybersecurity hygiene.

Cybersecurity challenges with remote working

How does working from home increase susceptibility to cybersecurity threats? Here are three factors to consider:

Weaker security measures

In many cases, people working from home don’t have the same level of protection as those using the office network. There aren’t security teams to monitor remote employees’ home networks, and many businesses aren’t able to extend monitoring to all endpoints.

Phishing scams

A phishing scam is an email, text message, or social media message designed to trick the recipient into leaking confidential information. Scammers can potentially use this information to break into accounts, steal company funds, access more sensitive data, perform identity fraud, and more.

Remote employees are especially vulnerable to phishing. For instance, a remote worker might receive an email requesting private information from someone claiming to be a fellow team member. An employee working outside of the office may have less familiarity with their colleagues, making it harder to spot suspicious activity.

Personal device use

Many employees working from home transfer files between their personal and work computers. If an employee isn’t regularly updating their software, their security environment will be more vulnerable to malicious activity. Beyond that, they could leave the company later on and keep confidential information on their personal device.

Working from home: cybersecurity tips for remote workers

How can remote employees improve their cybersecurity? Here are some essential tips:

• Use a virtual private network (VPN). Remote employees should use a VPN to improve their online privacy during work. A VPN encrypts internet traffic, making it unreadable to anyone who intercepts it.
• Set up multifactor authentication. A strong password is a good start, but two-step verification provides an additional layer of protection for remote employees’ accounts. Multifactor authentication could involve a fingerprint scan, facial recognition, or email or text confirmation in addition to your password input.
• Use firewall protection and antivirus software. A firewall helps prevent malware from entering your company’s system, while antivirus software helps block any threats that do get through.

Tackle remote working security risks with Agio

With more employees moving to online work environments, robust cybersecurity is a must. At Agio, we offer a variety of cybersecurity services designed to lower your team’s risk, enhance productivity, and reduce costs. Contact us to learn more.