Work From Home Cyber Security refers to the set of practices, technologies, and measures that individuals and organizations use to secure remote work environments against cyber threats. With employees working remotely from various locations, using both company-issued and personal devices, cybersecurity challenges have evolved significantly.
Global Adoption and Challenges of Work From Home Cyber Security
As remote work became the global norm, employees gained flexibility and efficiency, but cybersecurity risks emerged in tandem. Remote work introduces security risks, whether employees use personal devices (BYOD) or company-provided devices. When non-company peripherals are connected to a network, the potential for breaches increases. With the growing complexity of cybersecurity threats, organizations must focus on securing these remote environments to ensure data protection and operational continuity.
Work From Home Cyber Security Challenges
The Covid-19 pandemic played a significant role in accelerating the transition to remote work on a global scale. For many, a new experience, which caused a significant risk to remote work security. Numerous IT departments had days, rather than weeks, to take action to secure the organization, resulting in ad hoc policies. Furthermore, according to a report by Morphisec, almost half of office workers were new to WFH when the shift happened. This lack of experience with work from home, both on the employer and employee’s side, made it difficult to maintain cyber security measures outside of the organization’s traditional perimeters (Protecting Remote Connections).
Cybercriminals quickly adapted, leveraging increased connectivity and the extended attack surface of home networks to target sensitive information. In a matter of months, cyberattacks surged; Morphisec reported over a 100,000 increase in weekly attacks between February and April 2020 alone. These numbers demonstrate how quickly remote work heightened cybersecurity challenges, creating a critical need for tailored security measures.
Work From Home is Here to Stay
Many organizations have embraced the hybrid model, allowing employees to work from home either full-time or part-time. According to Gartner, 47% of organizations will give employees the choice to Work From Home on a full-time basis. Over than 80% will allow employees to Work From Home at least one day a week. This will likely be good news for many employees who enjoy remote work. In fact, 65% expressed a desire to work from home more than three days a week, according to a survey by Evolve IP. The same survey shows that 75% of employees feel more effective when working remotely. On average, they report a 31% increase in productivity.
With this new reality, Work From Home Cyber Security becomes a core focus for organizations aiming to secure data and assets. IT teams must implement effective policies and technologies that adapt to the unique requirements of hybrid and remote work models.
Common Security Vulnerabilities in Remote Work
With over a year to adjust to remote work, organizations have strengthened their WFH security policies. However, vulnerabilities remain. 60% of employees see room for improvement in cybersecurity, according to Evolve IP. In many cases, policies and guidelines lack enforcement; even when strict WFH guidelines are in place, 25% of employees do not follow them. This is a risk, especially as employees use personal devices lacking robust security protocols.
Personal Device Risks
Personal devices pose a significant cybersecurity threat due to their often unmanaged status and lack of security measures. With 56% of employees using personal computers and 46% using personal mobile devices for work, these endpoints introduce risks. Approximately 60% of companies lack a clear acceptable use policy for personal devices, creating a vulnerability. This gap can leave personal devices open to cyber threats, especially when employees are unsure of their device security protocols.
A lack of security measures is especially concerning because employees are often the most significant cybersecurity risk to organizations. Even with security tools like NAC, VPNs, and IDS, malicious actors have bypassed these protections through hardware-based attacks, exploiting the less physically secure settings in which remote work occurs.
Hardware Security: The First Line of Defense in Work From Home Cyber Security
The main challenges regarding remote work are a lack of control over device usage, and the ineffectiveness of security solutions. As such, enterprises need to focus their attention on hardware security as the first line of defense. Sepio’s platform provides visibility of all hardware assets operating across the corporate infrastructure on both the USB and network interface. Sepio analyzes the Physical Layer to detect and identify all devices, and their true identity. This capability allows the organization to effectively enforce hardware access control policies based on roles and device characteristics.
When a device breaches the pre-set policy, Sepio automatically instigates a mitigation process that blocks the device. As a result, enterprises can minimize the risks associated with remote work at the first opportunity. And no longer need to rely on employees and ineffective security solutions to provide protection. As telework looks like the new norm, security departments need to ensure that the most efficient tools are deployed. Without them, the enterprise will become a victim to a hardware attack sooner rather than later.
Secure Your Remote Workforce Today
As remote work evolves, so must your cybersecurity approach. Discover how Sepio’s platform can protect your organization from evolving threats. Gain complete visibility and control over every connected device.
Schedule a Demo to see how our hardware access controls, network monitoring, and endpoint protection can keep your team secure, productive, and resilient.
