The Covid 19 pandemic has forced many companies to opt for remote work for their employees. However, some organizations initiated remote working even before the disease broke out. Even though the world is coming back to normalcy, remote working will stay for many reasons. Most companies want their employees to work remotely as it cuts the expenses to a considerable extent and saves time for the employees. However, security is a challenge for remote workers. Sometimes an unintentional error can lead to a cyber-attack. The criminals are always on the lookout to exploit the vulnerable spots. How to ensure Cybersecurity for Your Remote Workers? We will discuss cyber risks for remote workers and some tips to eliminate cyber threats for remote workers and provide a secure work environment. 

What are cyber risks for Remote Workers?

Many employees are working away from the office at times or permanently. If you are an employer, you must understand the security risks. It will help you ensure a secure work environment for your employees when they are working from a remote location. 

Use Unsecured Wi-Fi Networks While Accessing Sensitive Data

Many of your employees may be from small towns or remote areas. They may not have a reliable internet connection and use public Wi-Fi or an unsecured network while accessing their corporate accounts. It increases the risk of a cyber-attack, and criminals can steal sensitive data. So, your employees should not use an unsecured network in any situation.

Using weak passwords

Using weak passwords can be a challenge to ensure cybersecurity for Your Remote Workers. Even if your employees use VPNs and firewalls; there is still a risk of cyber-attack if they do not use a strong password. Many people use a few consecutive numbers or letters as a password. Such passwords are always vulnerable. 

Unencrypted File Sharing

Many employees in your organization may access critical client data, customer information on their computers every day. When they send an email with critical information or transfer data, cybercriminals may access them if the files are not encrypted. It is a threat to cybersecurity for your remote workers, which can lead to identity theft, ransomware attacks, or a serious cyber-attack.

Using Personal Devices for Office Work

Using personal devices while accessing corporate accounts can lead to data theft. Many companies do not provide computers or other devices to their employees, which increases the cyber risks; personal devices may not be so secure to use for office work. Most people do not use a good antivirus or update the software. The hackers can exploit it to access sensitive data of your companies.

Tips to Ensure Cybersecurity for Your Remote Workers

After Covid 19 pandemic, many organizations across the globe want their employees to work remotely. The companies also see a lot of benefits when their employees work from home. However, remote working has its challenges, and cybersecurity is one of them. If you are an employer, you must confirm cybersecurity for your remote workers. Here are a few things you can do to curtail the cyber risks.

Create a security plan for your employees

When you ask your employees to work remotely, you need to create a security plan. If you have a cyber security team, you can ask them to assess the risks first. Otherwise, you can hire a professional cyber security company to do it for you. Once the team identifies the potential dangers, they can suggest measures to prevent security breaches. You can create a security policy according to that. It must include basic guidelines to follow while accessing the company’s tools and information systems. However, only creating a policy is not enough; you must ensure your employees adhere to it. Moreover, you should keep reviewing the policies regularly.

Use SSL Encryption for All Your Web Application 

Your employees will access the company’s website and other web applications for their work. They may have to input critical information on the pages. If the applications are not secured by SSL certificates, the data can be accessed by criminal’s midway. Using an SSL certificate prevents criminals from accessing any information. Before accessing any website, a user can check with a click on the padlock to know about SSL security. A user can easily know whether it has a single domain, wildcard, multi domain SSL on the website. There are few well known SSL products like RapidSSL wildcard, Sectigo Positive SSL, Thawte wildcard certificate,etc. secure the websites and provides the best encryption. Moreover, educate your employees to leave websites without SSL certificates. Criminals can use these websites to get their personal information which can jeopardize Cybersecurity for Your Remote Workers.

Ensure the Internet Connection is Secure

One of the main reasons for a cyber security breach is using an unsecured Internet connection. It allows hackers and other cybercriminals to sneak through the network and access sensitive information of the company and its clients. Moreover, they can also access the personal details of the employee, and other data stored on the computer. You must make sure your remote employees are not using public Wi-Fi or an unsecured network. Moreover, they must use Antivirus software and take other Internet security measures like turning on firewalls and using your company’s VPN while working.

Keep Family Members and Friends Away from Work Devices

When your employees work from home or any other place away from the office, their family members or friends can access the devices. It is another challenge you have to deal with to assure cybersecurity for your remote workers. Their young children or friends may expose the computer to cyber risks unknowingly, and before you realize the problem, it can cause severe damage to the organization. That is why your employees must ensure no one can access their work devices. 

Educate Your Employees about the Importance of Cyber Security

All your employees may not be tech-savvy, and they can expose their computer or network to cyber risks. They can also access various websites, which can increase the threat. So, it is crucial to let your employees know the basic cyber hygiene policies and ensure they should follow dos and don’ts religiously. Another essential thing to ensure Cybersecurity for Your Remote Workers is they must use strong passwords. Many people use a series of numbers or letters like “123456”, “abcdef” or “qwerty” or DOB and nicknames as passwords. Anyone can crack these passwords and get access to their Wi-Fi network or system. A strong password is a combination of  letters, numbers, and special characters. 

Conclusion: Most organizations want their employees to work from remote locations, especially after the pandemic. However, it brings a lot of challenges as well. Cyber threats have grown manifold as the employees access your applications from various locations. As an employer, you must take care of cybersecurity for your remote workers to prevent a data breach. A robust cyber security policy is critical to mitigating the risk of hacking and other cyber-attacks. You can consult with an expert and follow the above tips to ensure cybersecurity for your organization.