There is no denying that the current global pandemic has put the world in a volatile and unstable phase. Nevertheless, cyber-attackers never made their mind to take any time off. As work-from-home is becoming the new normal, organizations are distracted to handle the security risks. Security and risk management teams are operating in completely different environments and mindsets. Scientists are pressing that COVID-19 will persist, possibly for years. In this scenario, let's dive into the security challenges posed by COVID-19 to enterprises.
Transformed Operating Conditions
As many organizations have started to adopt remote working strategies, security incidents that would normally be well-managed can now become a threatening issue. It is mandatory to ensure that the primary, secondary and alternative roles are getting engaged with the incidents at the right time. The main challenge is to certain that everyone has access to the IT infrastructure they need to be effective. It is suggested to review all the necessary security documentation and conduct a walk-through to identify problems due to altered operating conditions.
Endpoint Security
The swift transformation to remote work leaves the security team without enough time to perform basic endpoint hygiene checks on corporate machines. Employees who are working on personal devices, further complicate the matter. It is recommended to ensure that the corporate machines have the minimum sustainable endpoint protection configuration for off-LAN activities. Additionally, security and risk team should be restrained while accessing corporate applications which store mission-critical information from personal devices. They should also confirm whether personal devices have anti-malware capabilities enabled.
Socially Engineered Attacks
Employees are operating in different environments in remote working conditions. They might not secure the network during a time when cybercriminals will exploit the chaos. They will have more distractions than usual. It is advised to reach out to senior leaders or security experts with examples of target phishing attacks. Also, alerting employees to escalate the cyber threat environment is essential. One of the good practices is clearly communicating who to contact and what to do if employees suspect a cyber-attack.
Visibility on the expanded operating environment
The workforce remote relocation creates the potential for cybersecurity teams to miss events. Without appropriate monitoring tools and capabilities, the visibility on the expanded operating environment is threatened to minimize. The security team must ensure the internal security monitoring capabilities and log management rule sets enable full visibility. If the security is under the control of managed security service providers, it is recommended to make sure they are adapting their monitoring and logs that make sense for the new operating landscape.
Inspirisys Security Solutions for the remote workforce
Inspirisys provides state-of-the-art tools with security capabilities to empower distributed remote workforce. It enables remote workers with modern technologies and addresses endpoint security challenges. It also helps to establish cybersecurity policies that make sense in the current pandemic situation. ISL VPNless VDI delivers the most secured work from home experience without compromising on productivity.
Click here to talk to an expert!
