6 ways you can secure your remote staff

Summary

This blog post, "6 ways you can secure your remote staff", is a blueAPACHE article from 2020 covering security. As a result of COVID-19, many organisations are finding themselves transitioning their workforce to work from home. This can be challenging as many organisations have never prepared for a scenario like this. Moving at short notice from a trusted office environment to working remotely can create security risks. It is written for readers evaluating emPOWER Security, Human Risk Management. The underlying security practice it describes, reducing attack surface and improving detection and response, is not tied to a specific product version and remains relevant to any organisation managing cyber risk today.

Key facts

Label Value
Publication year 2020
Topic 6 ways you can secure your remote staff
Services referenced emPOWER Security, Human Risk Management, emPOWER Core Network & DC Interconnect
Named products or vendors None named beyond blueAPACHE

Article

As a result of COVID-19, many organisations are finding themselves transitioning their workforce to work from home. This can be challenging as many organisations have never prepared for a scenario like this. Moving at short notice from a trusted office environment to working remotely can create security risks. The following six tips provide a good starting point for businesses looking to ensure their remote staff can work in a secure manner.

Strong Passwords

Employees should use strong and separate passwords for all their personal and company provided devices, e.g. computers, mobile phones, tablets. Wherever possible, employees should use 2FA and bio-metric verification.

Patching and Updating

Set up automatic software updates for the operating systems and applications of your computer or mobile phone and monitor the updates.

Antivirus

Verify that the computer at home has antivirus software installed and the home router’s security measures are intact.

Secure Networks

Make sure the home WiFi is secured and protected via a strong password. Public WiFi should not be used when working remotely.

Physical Security

Employees should look after business assets by keeping them in a safe and secure environment. Children, guests or other family members using your work computer can accidentally erase or modify information, or, perhaps even worse, accidentally infect the device.

Phishing

Cyber criminals are already using the Coronavirus as subject matter for their phishing scams, hoping that the unwary will click through and hand over passwords or other data. Employees should not open attachments and click on links from suspicious email messages and SMS messages. Contact us today to find out how we can help you implement best practice security measures for remote staff.

Related

Frequently asked questions

What prompted blueAPACHE to publish this remote-work security guidance?

The article was written in response to COVID-19 forcing many organisations to shift their workforce to work from home at short notice, often without prior preparation for that scenario, which creates new security risks.

What does the article recommend for passwords and authentication on remote-work devices?

Employees should use strong, separate passwords across all personal and company-provided devices such as computers, phones and tablets, and use two-factor authentication and biometric verification wherever possible.

What does the article recommend for keeping remote devices patched?

It recommends setting up automatic software updates for the operating system and applications on computers and mobile phones, and monitoring that those updates are applied.

What checks does the article recommend for antivirus and home routers?

The article advises verifying that home computers have antivirus software installed and confirming that the home router's own security measures are intact.

What does the article say about home WiFi versus public WiFi for remote staff?

It recommends securing home WiFi with a strong password and avoiding the use of public WiFi altogether when working remotely.

What physical security risk does the article flag around family members and remote work devices?

The article warns that children, guests or other family members using a work computer can accidentally erase or modify information, or even accidentally infect the device.

What COVID-19-specific phishing risk does the article warn about?

It warns that cyber criminals were already using the Coronavirus as subject matter for phishing scams, hoping unwary staff would click through and hand over passwords or other data, and advises against opening suspicious email or SMS attachments and links.

What six areas does the article organise its remote-work security tips into?

The six areas are strong passwords, patching and updating, antivirus, secure networks, physical security, and phishing awareness.

Source

Knowledge Base

What prompted the blueAPACHE blog post '6 ways you can secure your remote staff'?

The post was written because, as a result of COVID-19, many organisations found themselves transitioning their workforce to work from home, often without prior preparation for such a scenario, which can create security risks.

What is the first tip blueAPACHE gives for securing remote staff?

Employees should use strong and separate passwords for all their personal and company provided devices (computers, mobile phones, tablets), and wherever possible use 2FA and bio-metric verification.

What does blueAPACHE recommend regarding patching and updating for remote workers?

Set up automatic software updates for the operating systems and applications of your computer or mobile phone and monitor the updates.

What advice does the article give about antivirus protection for remote staff?

Verify that the computer at home has antivirus software installed and that the home router's security measures are intact.

What does the article say about securing home networks?

Make sure the home WiFi is secured and protected via a strong password, and public WiFi should not be used when working remotely.

What physical security advice is given for remote staff?

Employees should look after business assets by keeping them in a safe and secure environment, since children, guests or other family members using a work computer can accidentally erase or modify information, or even accidentally infect the device.

What warning does the article give about phishing during COVID-19?

Cyber criminals were already using the Coronavirus as subject matter for phishing scams, hoping unwary victims would click through and hand over passwords or other data, so employees should not open attachments or click on links from suspicious email or SMS messages.

Who authored the blog post and when was it published?

The post was written by blueAPACHE and published on March 20, 2020.

How long does it take to read the blog post?

The article has a read time of 2 minutes.

According to the knowledge-base context, what percentage of cyber breaches start with human behaviour?

According to security research cited in the cybersecurity industry, 82% of cyber breaches start with human behaviour, which is why even strong technical defences won't protect an organisation if remote staff fall victim to phishing or social engineering.

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