Remote work allows us to be more flexible and helps avoid CO2 emissions from work-related travel. And since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote work has become a common practice valued by employers and employees alike. However, working remotely represents a threat to cyber security for businesses, especially when employees are unaware of the additional risks. Read our article to learn more about these risks and get a handy checklist of cybersecurity best practices that you can download.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in remote work practices around the world. And as companies and their employees have learned during this time, working remotely has some important benefits: it allows employees to work more flexible hours, juggle work alongside childcare or eldercare, improve their environmental footprint, and even stay home on a rainy day.

Remote work is here to stay

These benefits have led to a widespread acceptance of remote work. According to a 2022 McKinsey survey, 581% of Americans are able to work remotely at least once a week, and 871% of them choose to do so. One in three employees can even work entirely from home. Another interesting finding from the study is that, alongside traditionally remote-work-heavy industries like IT, finance, or design, a growing number of people in legal, education, or healthcare-related occupations are doing at least some of their work from home.

Remote work comes with many challenges

What many people don't realize is that, In terms of IT security, managing remote work poses a unique challenge.

A 2021 study by HP found that 761,300 office workers say working remotely due to the pandemic has blurred the line between work and personal life. More specifically,

• 50% of employees surveyed use their work devices for private purposes
• 27% use them to play
• 36% broadcast content online
• 40% use them for online education
• 27% allowed others to use their work devices.

For IT professionals, this is where the warning signs start to ring: all of these behaviors have consequences that go beyond the work-life balance of individual employees. According to the study above, most IT executives associate the use of work devices for non-work purposes or sharing devices with a significant increase in their company’s risk of a security breach.

Other security challenges in a remote work context can arise due to:

• Policies Bring Your Own Device limit the abilities of IT technicians to manage and monitor deployed devices and software
• Employees in geographically dispersed teams who have fewer opportunities to exchange with their coworkers and may be more vulnerable to scams
• Users who are not always connected to the company network , as they may be tempted to connect to public or unknown Wi-Fi networks, which cybercriminals can use to hack into corporate devices

Most companies are not prepared for cyberattacks

The aforementioned behaviors of de facto remote workers (among other factors) have contributed to a rise in cybercrime since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accenture estimates that the number of cyberattacks in 2021 increased by 21% compared to 2020 – for an average of 270 attacks per company over the course of the year.

The problem is that many companies are ill-equipped to defend themselves against these attacks. Positive Technologies estimates that 931% of companies’ network perimeters are penetrable to cybercriminals. Furthermore, according to the ISACA State of Cybersecurity 2021, 611% of organizations indicate a shortage of cybersecurity professionals.

On the other hand, organizations are starting to make security a priority. A 2022 survey by Enterprise Strategy Group found that 691% of companies increased their cybersecurity budget in 2022.

The key to improving an organization’s IT security management is educating end users. Users who know how to spot a potential attack and follow certain cybersecurity best practices go a long way toward keeping company data safe.

Best practices your end users can (and should!) follow

We've developed an exportable checklist of cybersecurity best practices, explained in non-technical terms that you can share with your end users:

• Make sure you are connected to your company's network, avoid using public Wi-Fi and never connect to an unknown network.
• Do not click on suspicious links or attachments. If you're unsure, talk to your coworkers or contact your IT department or provider.
• Be suspicious of calls and messages from numbers you don't recognize and never share confidential information over the phone.
• When you encounter a scam, report it immediately to your IT department or provider.
• Create strong, unique passwords for all logins. Ask your IT contact about getting a password manager if you aren’t already doing so. Use 2-factor authentication when possible.
• Please check the website URL before entering login information and be suspicious when asked to change your password.
• Do not install software or browser add-ons, unless they are provided by your organization.
• Comply with the update policy (correction) of your organization's software.
• Even at home, make sure to lock your device (to do this, press the Windows key plus L on Windows, press Cmd + Ctrl + Q on Mac) when you're not using it. When you're on the go, never leave your device unattended.
• Backup your data regularly using your organization's cloud storage.
• Be careful about the information you post online. Cybercriminals can use your personal data to harm you and your organization.

SOURCE: TeamViewer Blog

Software.com.br is a TeamViewer partner and is also a reference in technology solutions for the corporate world in Latin America. Through partnerships with the main manufacturers in the market, the company operates in Digital Transformation, with consultants specialized in: Software Licensing, Cybersecurity, DevOps, Infrastructure and Data Analytics.

See more about TeamViewer on our website: Software.com.br