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Remote work is a new reality for most employees in Serbia as well as in most global companies. This means that a large number of workers work from their living rooms in a highly sensitive cyber environment. Working from home has challenges in terms of access to the system, access to internal IT infrastructure, etc. Practically, when an employee accesses the company’s data or databases from home, the risks increase.

 

Under normal circumstances, there is a risk between the server, the internal network, and the end-user device, but external work also adds to the risks of public internet connections, local area networks, and security solutions for individual users.

 

Remote work opens up many opportunities for cybercriminals. They are great at breaking down weak Wi-Fi codes in your homes. So even if your laptop is safe, parts of your home network aren't. For example, unsecured and old printers. There may be older machines that are completely unsecured on the same network. Then there are the routers. Many routers are extremely weak and are potentially owned by cybercriminals or can be easily found by cybercriminals. Once hacked, hackers can track down your bank accounts and codes. Additionally, they can retrieve or sell your data or seek ransom for it. Be aware that you are presented as an "easy target" for hackers unless you use a virtual private network (VPN) that encrypts wireless data.

 

Working from home involves doing a bunch of work at the same time, especially if you have young children. As a result, your attention spans and the likelihood of you mistakenly clicking on suspicious content will increase. Thus, the security challenges while working from home increase in a greater manner.

 

During this period, there were more and more fraudulent websites and scam emails related to the Coronan virus, such as maps showing cartographic representations of the COVID-19 spread.

 

Picture 1. Map of the spread of the Coronavirus with malware inserted. Image source: ReasonSecurity.

 

Given that cybercriminals are already making major attacks on the Corona virus theme, using the fact that the humans are feeling fear and pressure, it is expected that the number of these frauds and attacks will be multiplied by massive commuting.

 

Below we offer you a few recommendations that you and your company can implement and stay safe in these extraordinary circumstances:

 

• For remote work, use a work computer that has been kept up to date.
• Use a quality endpoint security solution (such as VMWareCarbonBlack) to prevent and detect intrusions.
• Use a VPN as one way to further protect the data being exchanged between core systems and home-based employees. This extra layer of security lets you: hide your IP address, encrypt transit data, mask your location, etc.

 

Most of large companies already use VPN services, so it is necessary to check that they can be available to all employees in need. Smaller companies are likely to have to look for a VPN provider.

 

• Provide basic cybersecurity tips to employees. This applies in particular to identifying phishing emails, avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, the security of home routers and the devices they use to get things done. It is certain that phishing campaigns will increase in these circumstances. Special care should be taken not to open email links and attachments from unknown senders, or to install unverified third-party applications (and those from unofficial sources/stores).
• Update your OS and all applications regularly.
• Manage passwords. It is advisable to reset and set new, strong passwords to access corporate services, in accordance with a strict security policy.
• Use secure and proven cloud services. One way to protect endpoints is to keep confidential information stored in the cloud rather than locally.
• Change the default passwords for the Wi-Fi router.
• Be sure to make a backup. It's not a bad idea to use an online backup service.
• Avoid using USB memory devices, if possible.

 

If you need more information on how to further protect your business and sensitive information, please contact us at prodaja@sky-express.rs

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