The unstoppable wave of digital transformation that continues to hit the world has led to a rise in remote work. Of course, the pandemic has also influenced the fact that now freelancers, hybrid workers, and even the concept of the gig economy are becoming more important than ever.
However, new concerns have arisen with this paradigm change in the nature of corporate work. One significant problem is cybersecurity. Just as criminals are stalking physical alleys, the digital world has its malicious entities as well.
As a result of the cybersecurity concerns, remote workers need to guard against breaches and vulnerabilities.
Safety Issues in Remote Work
Remote work is convenient and flexible for both workers and employers. Employees get to hire the best regardless of location or physical availability. On the flip side, employees can work from their preferred spaces in comfort while saving some money at the same time.
However, there are issues with this work model, and a lot of them stem directly from the decentralization of the workplace environment. Here are some of the safety issues associated with remote work.
Unsecured Devices and Networks
There’s the potential that remote workers might take personal cybersecurity too lightly. As such, they may not secure their devices and make other mistakes like using public networks and WiFi. Such poor cyber hygiene puts their and the company’s security at risk.
Weak Passwords
Another safety issue that cybercriminals could exploit is a weak password. A weak password does not contain diverse characters or uses elements of a user’s personal life. Such a password is thus more likely to fall to brute force attacks or guesses and puts a business at risk.
Similarly, the habit of repeating passwords could leave a person’s accounts open to credential stuffing. Credential stuffing could leave multiple accounts open to unauthorized access.
Phishing and Email Scams
In many complicated cases, such scams are possible only because the victim anticipates a message or email. The level of anticipation and the potential for a scam increases in conditions of remote work. In other words, all digital text-based correspondence could create opportunities for scams if left unsecured.
Insufficient Education
Most people know the primary cybersecurity practices. However, they are less likely to be familiar with the newest cybercrime methods. That’s why the cyber threat education of the individual web user must also continue to evolve.
Reliable Services that Improve the Safety of Remote Work
Secure Communication Tools
The security of business-related correspondence is a serious issue for remote workers and their employers. Reliable communication tools that employ end-to-end encryption should be the priority. Such tools make the interception of information significantly more complex and are more likely to safeguard any sensitive data within.
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Public networks are a menace that some remote workers may have to brave. Hackers can exploit the vulnerability of such a network to steal valuable data.
There’s a lot a VPN can offer. With this tool in tact, web traffic from your computer is safer – all thanks to the encryption and tunneling protocols. You only need to make sure to choose not the cheapest VPN first but the safest and most reliable.
In addition, companies can employ VPNs as corporate solutions to provide safer access to resources.
Encrypted Collaboration Platforms
Remote work is impossible without collaboration. A collaboration tool makes it possible to manage teams, allocate tasks and resources, etc, efficiently. So, they are important for remote work – if they come equipped with encryption, even better.
Tech Skills Improvement Courses
We stated earlier that the methods of criminals are constantly evolving. The knowledge of web users and businesses about such methods needs to evolve as well.
To that effect, businesses should organize regular cybersecurity courses to educate their employees, especially those working remotely.
Like some companies offer data analytics courses once they make sure both an employee and a company can benefit from the knowledge update, cybersecurity courses can help onboard employees every time a new technology is drafted in. Such a culture helps familiarize workers with threats and solutions and prevent potentially costly mistakes.
Password Managers
The best password managers are excellent at meeting all password-related needs. They help users create and assess the strength of passwords, store them, and autofill them where necessary.
Furthermore, a password manager can help notify users to change their passwords regularly. They also help monitor online data breaches for leaks of any of your details. The summed effect of their functions is a forward-thinking approach to password creation and use that can keep users a step ahead of criminals.
Conclusion
Businesses are growing more comfortable employing freelancers and remote workers living thousands of miles apart from them. The implication is that remote and hybrid work are here to stay. Therefore, understanding the safety issues associated with remote work and how to circumvent them is crucial.
The tools shared in this article are very helpful. However, workers and businesses can only obtain maximum value from reputable tools. So, be sure to choose the best when you decide to secure your online activity, and don’t forget to implement training for every tool. Then, your remote work security will be taken care of fully.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Daily Caller were not involved in the creation of this content.