Security Vulnerabilities of a Remote Workforce
With each year we see ever-growing cyber security threats, but with the year 2020 came the concept of remote working which has fueled the rising number of cyber-attacks. During this pandemic alone 20% of companies have faced a security breach. These breaches are costing massively with an average cost of $3.9 million globally and $8.6 million in the US alone. This is because while working remotely employees now have to access company data from an offsite location, thus increasing the chances of an attack. Moreover, not all employees have sufficient training and understanding of the common security risks and the precautions to be taken in order to safeguard themselves. Surveys have shown that 62% of security incidents are due to people unwittingly connecting to free public WIFI’s like in a cafe or a coffee shop. Let us have a look at the common password attacks.
Phishing
Attackers are taking advantage of users’ fear during this pandemic, and trick them into clicking random links and downloading malware. It’s is not difficult to get people to clicking on unknown links. Phishing attacks also happen by sending fake emails to your company in form of your customers and vendors. Ever received an email claiming that you have won a lottery to which you had not even applied? Or the latest like saving your family from covid buy this from a company you have never heard of nor has internet presence? Beware. Attackers are taking advantage of user’s fear during this pandemic, and tricking them into clicking random links and downloading malware. Phishing attacks also happen by sending fake emails to your company from some fake customer or vendor id. When people are made to believe that they have received emails from important people like their boss or client it becomes easier to get them to click on unknown links.
Fewer Security Layers
Companies quite often use local networks and technology that operates with these networks with security tools and firewalls. These help to eliminate security breaches. When employees work from home, they lack office networks and laptops that come with encryption. Moreover, in remote workers quite often connect to unsecured Wi-Fi which in turn leads hackers to attack easily. It is hard to monitor employee activities in remote working especially with office data. It becomes hard when remote works request to access to more information and resources.
SQL injection
A SQL injection is a type of attack in which a SQL query is inserted or injected by the attacker and the malicious SQL statement is executed via the client-to-application input data. A database server behind a web application acts as the backbone. A SQL injection exploit code, can read database data, alter database data (Insert/Update/Delete), and conduct database administration operations. An intruder can go through any part of a web page’s authentication database and retrieve the unified SQL database.
Zero-day exploits
It is an intrusion that happens on the same day that a flaw is found in software. In a Zero-day software exploit, a hacker uses the vulnerability discovered to attack the device. It is a software or hardware bug that causes complex issues long before someone knows that anything is wrong. Vulnerabilities can go unnoticed for years and are sold for large amounts on the black market. Threats like this are extremely dangerous because their presence is only known to the hacker.
The current work from home climate has increased security threats. Remote working makes online security weaker when compared to those who work from the office. Despite security threats, remote work is increasing. Many companies are considering remote working because it increases productivity and involvement from workers. Keeping all the pros and cons in mind companies are considering investing in defense systems to keep cybersecurity threats at bay.
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About Sennovate
Sennovate delivers custom identity and access management solutions to businesses around the world. With global partners and a library of 1000+ integrations, we implement world-class cybersecurity solutions that save your company time and money. We offer a seamless experience with integration across all cloud applications, and a single price for product, implementation, and support. Have questions? The consultation is always free. Email [email protected] or call us at: (925) 918-6618