Cybersecurity should be a priority for remote teams but can be difficult to tackle. It is also one of the reasons why so many companies are reluctant to go remote in the first place. Now that it is no longer a question of choice for many, you have no choice but to be aware of the most common threats and vulnerabilities of remote working and find concrete ways to prepare for them. Here are 3 cybersecurity challenges of remote working, and some solutions as well.
Assessing the Security of Wifi Networks
One of the biggest issues with remote working is that you have no control over which Wi-Fi network your employees may be working on. In some cases, they might be working from unsafe or public networks. There are also cases when they have no other type of network available.
The issue with that is that unencrypted information could be intercepted by a malicious third party. This is why you should make sure that all of your employees access public networks using a VPN network.
Personal Devices
Remote working also means that your employees will most likely be working from their own equipment. This causes a whole host of issues that you’ll have to address before you unroll any system.
For one, there’s the risk that they lose one of their devices. Then there’s the reality that your employees will now own possibly sensitive information about your company. There is no guarantee that they will destroy all files when they leave, which poses an additional risk. There’s the risk of retaliatory action, or that this information will be leaked to a malicious actor.
Another very common and serious issue with allowing employees to use their own devices is that you have to coordinate software updates. Outdated versions often have vulnerabilities and having to constantly monitor that everyone has the latest version can be difficult.
One way that you could reduce the risk would be to work with a managed IT solution like Iconic IT, for instance. Not only will they be able to make sure that everyone gets the proper updates and patches, but they can also put additional measures to limit the amount of access your employees have. They could also help monitor suspicious activity on your network and block potential attacks on their track.
Human Negligence
This is not only one of the biggest cybersecurity issues with remote teams, but one of the most difficult to counter as well. It can be tough to ask your employees to be 100% aware of their surroundings all of the time, but negligence could eventually lead to leaks that could be disastrous. This could be as simple as leaving the device unattended when having a phone conversation. In this case, only training and reminding them of best practices will help.
These are just some of the common threats posed by remote working. Make sure that you are fully aware of them and have a clear plan before you decide to go completely remote with your team.