In 2020, remote work has become a widespread option for companies all over the world. This setup has many benefits for both companies and their staff. For instance, companies can save up on their operational costs since they no longer have to maintain a big office space while employees can save time from traveling to and from their office. Despite the benefits, it also comes with risks particularly, network security concerns.
However, 2020 is also the year that cybercrime rates increased with no signs of slowing down. Cybercriminals and hackers are all threats to your business and your workforce. Ever since digital technology made its way to businesses, digital assets have become immensely valuable to companies due to the rise of network security threats. Losing them to either errors or cybercriminals can destroy a business.
That said, cybersecurity should be one of the top priorities of any company in 2021.
Types of Cyber Threats In Network Security
Securing your digital assets is easier said than done since there are so many ways a hacker can exploit or attack your corporate networks.
Here some of the top IT security threats that you should pay close attention to:
Phishing Emails
Sending phishing emails is one of the oldest tricks in the book. However, it is still one of the greatest threats to your company’s cybersecurity.
Back in the day, it was so much easier to spot phishing emails since they are normally poorly written messages with obvious fake email addresses. However, phishing emails have come a long way– some are now more sophisticated than others.
Nowadays, cybercriminals do background research, invest in realistic email addresses, and create well-written emails to lure employees to click on their bait.
Your employees need proper training to ensure that they are aware of the threats they face from phishing. Help them check for warning signs to avoid cyberattacks through phishing emails.
Shadow IT
This fancy-sounding word simply means the use of unapproved software through your systems and network. Due to the introduction of cloud software and the unusual levels of internet access, employees can easily access external online services and programs.
“Shadow software” has not been assessed or approved by network administrators which make it a possible security risk. Ideally, corporate networks should keep this type of software out since they can possibly carry or create a path for attackers, or it can also be used to share company data without proper encryption and protective measures.
The simple way to deal with this to do a thorough assessment and implement strengthened cybersecurity measures. Creating awareness about network security within your technical team and throughout the company can also help reduce the risk of shadow software.
IoT Devices
Internet of Things or IoT is a collective term for describing the diverse range of new devices such as smart speakers and wearable devices.
These innovations have gained popularity in the market due to their benefits in people’s lives. However, they are still relatively new and they still have unique network security vulnerabilities and design flaws that people should not disregard.
Although these new technologies have many useful features and benefits, people do not fully know yet how they can be used to potentially infiltrate IT systems and gain access to corporate data.
You cannot stop your staff from using these devices for personal reasons, but for the sake of your business– you should refrain from integrating IoT smart technology with your business.
If using IoT technology is necessary for your industry, then you must consider how much access these devices should have to your network. You should also make sure that you have several methods of protection in place to help you distance IoT devices from your corporate data. Doing so will lessen the impact should a cybercriminal get their hands on these devices.
Work-from-Home Setup
Most companies at least have the basic network security measures in place in their company-owned devices. Their corporate network is also surely secured with cybersecurity tools and software. This type of protection works well in an office setting.
However, what happens now that remote work culture is on the rise? Devices from a work-from-home setup need to connect to your systems, but unfortunately– they cannot be covered with the same layers of network security as your local or company-owned hardware.
Off-site hardware devices are prone to cyber breaches due to a number of reasons. Now, one of the things you can do is to focus on endpoint solutions and AGAIN, raise awareness amongst your staff.
There are plenty of cybersecurity tools that can help you reduce the risk of attacks despite the work-from-home setup. Some security measures can also include two-step authentication and regularly updated access controls with a policy that ensures no other hardware is installed on the device used to access your work platform.
Bottomline
Although technology has improved business operations and made a lot of things easier for companies– it also comes with great security responsibilities.
There is so much to look out for nowadays because the technology gets smarter– cybercriminals are getting smarter too. However, there is software or a tool for everything nowadays, you just need to know what works best with your company setting.
For instance, if your business is currently running remotely– you should strictly enforce security and IT policies. You can also try cybersecurity tools specially designed for businesses.