The global spread of COVID-19 has accelerated the emerging trend towards hybrid work models. Today's employees are working effectively both from home and traditional offices. However, this change also brings the challenge of managing increased cybersecurity risks. Getting ahead of these issues is key for organizations to protect their digital security.
Top Cybersecurity Risks in a Hybrid Workforce
A hybrid work model that combines remote and in-office work offers significant benefits, but also raises clear cybersecurity concerns.
Until now, businesses have focused on securing networks within their physical offices. But now, with employees working from multiple locations, businesses face a much broader range of potential vulnerabilities. Here we look at the main cybersecurity threats inherent in this distributed work environment.
Expanding the attack surface
The traditional “castle-and-moat” mentality of cybersecurity no longer applies: a hybrid workforce creates many potential points of entry for attackers.
When employees log in from home networks, use public Wi-Fi, and mix personal and work tasks across a variety of devices, the surface area that needs protection becomes much larger.
The challenge of data visibility and control
When sensitive data is spread across numerous endpoints, including laptops, personal devices, and cloud-based storage solutions, maintaining visibility and governance of the data presents significant challenges.
For many organizations, knowing where their sensitive data is located, distinguishing access rights, and tracking its usage is a challenge, and this lack of visibility hinders strict enforcement of security policies.
The risks of BYOD
The use of personal devices such as smartphones and tablets in the workplace under BYOD policies poses significant security risks: these devices typically do not meet the security standards applied to corporate-issued hardware and lack strong security features and timely software updates.
This gap in security measures can increase exposure of sensitive corporate data to malware and unauthorized access.
Phishing and social engineering risks are on the rise
Remote work puts employees at increased risk of falling prey to phishing attacks and social engineering scams. Without the visual and environmental security indicators found in the office, remote employees may struggle to identify fraudulent communications.
The effectiveness of social engineering tactics, where attackers use manipulation to gain sensitive information or access, also increases in the absence of traditional security infrastructure in an office environment.
Best practices for securing a distributed workforce
The distributed nature of a hybrid workplace requires an advanced security approach to stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities. Below are some key best practices to effectively defend your company against evolving risks:
Implementing Zero Trust Security
Zero Trust flips the traditional concept of network security on its head, where users within a corporate network are assumed to be inherently safe and granted access to all resources. This approach proposes a complete reevaluation of this mindset, effectively redefining the notion of a secure network by introducing a model that does not assume trust and instead requires continuous verification from all users.
This model requires validation for every attempt to access a resource, regardless of where the user is located or what device they are using, which requires implementing a multi-layered security approach:
- Strict access control: Apply role-based permissions to enforce strict access control, ensuring that users receive only the access they need to effectively perform their roles. This approach helps maintain a secure and controlled environment by avoiding the dangers associated with granting overly broad access privileges and aligning access to specific job functions.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an effective means of enhancing security by requiring a secondary verification factor in addition to a password. This can include authenticating with a code received on a phone, using a fingerprint scan, using a security token, etc. MFA creates an additional barrier to verify user identity, significantly strengthening your defense mechanism against unauthorized access.
- Network Segmentation: Network segmentation involves dividing a network into separate zones. This strategy significantly improves security by isolating sensitive data. The efficiency of security measures can be evaluated through SOC and ISO audits. These processes involve a third party review of a company's security mechanisms and their compliance with recognized standards.
Designing Stronger Endpoint Security
All devices that connect to company resources require strong endpoint security measures, including:
- Latest software: Installing and frequently updating antivirus and antimalware software on all of your organization's devices is essential to protect against malware infections. These security measures help identify and eliminate threats that could compromise sensitive data and disrupt business operations. Updates ensure that your software remains effective against new cybersecurity threats.
- Data Encryption: On-device data encryption is a key security measure that converts information into a secure, coded format, making the data unreadable and inaccessible even if the device is lost or stolen. This encryption serves as an essential safeguard for devices that store sensitive corporate information, ensuring that data remains protected in a variety of scenarios.
- BYOD Control: Bring your own device (BYOD) policies are becoming more common as employees use their personal devices for work. These policies help enforce security measures such as requiring strong passwords and screen locks, remotely wiping lost or stolen devices, and distributing company applications.
Use VPN encryption
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) establishes a secure communication path for your data, which is crucial for staff accessing the web in public places like coffee shops or airports, where Wi-Fi is open and can easily be compromised.
A VPN protects information by encrypting it as it travels from a personal device to the corporate network, essentially making it unreadable to anyone who isn't authorized to view it. Companies should require the use of company-approved VPNs with strict encryption protocols for all remote work. Additionally, these VPNs should be configured to automatically launch when employees connect to public, unsecured Wi-Fi networks to ensure ongoing protection.
Penetration Testing Services
Penetration testing (also known as ethical hacking) is an advanced strategy for assessing the cybersecurity posture of a hybrid workforce that involves contracting skilled security professionals to perform controlled cyber attacks against the IT environment. The goal of a penetration test is to uncover exploitable weaknesses by attempting network breaches or data exfiltration, and testing the effectiveness of employee training against fraud and manipulation techniques.
Identifying these vulnerabilities before they are exploited by attackers enables targeted remediation strategies, strengthens security posture, and provides deeper insight into an organization's cyber risk profile. Implementing regular penetration testing is essential to proactively protect an organization's information assets, especially in the highly adaptable context of a hybrid work model.
Employee education and security culture
In a rapidly evolving threat landscape, traditional cybersecurity training that is updated annually is no longer sufficient – regular, engaging training sessions must be prioritized.
Regardless of your work environment, these workshops should address key areas such as recognizing phishing emails, spotting social engineering attempts, following password security best practices, and safely managing sensitive data.
Practical tools such as simulations, quizzes and case studies based on real incidents can significantly improve the learning experience, making training sessions not only informative but also engaging and directly relevant to everyday scenarios.
Strengthen your hybrid security posture
While the shift to a hybrid work model offers many benefits, it also raises significant cybersecurity concerns. To successfully navigate the complexities of a hybrid work environment, it's important for organizations to proactively update their security protocols.
Prioritize technology solutions like Zero Trust, implement strong endpoint protection, and empower your employees through in-depth security training. Remember, cybersecurity is not a one-and-done feature but requires constant attention and adaptation to the dynamic threat landscape.
