Before the pandemic forced millions of workers to work remotely, cybersecurity risks were already increasing. In the past year, some of the largest attacks to date have been reported, with billions of documents published. Today, however, as companies struggle to rapidly decentralize their data centers, some security firms cite an 800% increase in calls for cyberattacks.
About the Author George Brasher is the UK Managing Director of HP. At the start of this unprecedented downtime, IT decision makers had to develop the capabilities to work from home almost overnight, and the monumental task of securing business information is now more difficult than ever. With 96% of office workers currently working from home, and a large proportion having to stay away after lockdowns have been relaxed, here's how IT management can continue to intelligently operate the workforce in circumstances extreme.
"Always on" education for your end user
Employees try to carry on with business as usual, but are also distracted by profound social changes. With the massive increase in video conference calls for both work and catch-ups, malicious hackers and opportunistic troublemakers are targeting these systems. This reminder of network and platform best practices released several weeks ago could easily have been overlooked. Today, regular communications that remind workers of their responsibility and available resources are essential. In the absence of a physical IT department, remind them where to report an incident or ask for advice and best practices, including approved video conferencing platforms. Remind them of the common signs of phishing attempts and how to protect themselves and company information.
Monitor device activity in real time
Being tricked by phishing attempts or not using complex passwords, human error among the user base is a known danger to all IT managers. Shockingly, 95% of organizations say their cybersecurity culture is not as good as it should be, according to an ISACA cybersecurity culture survey. In the meantime, however, it could be even worse. According to CheckPoint, domains linked to COVID19 are 50% more likely to be malicious than other domains registered in the same period. Actors capitalize on people's desire for information about the pandemic; Barracuda Networks cyber threat researchers have found a 667% increase in malicious phishing emails claiming to be a way to ward off coronavirus to trick people into opening emails containing malware. This quick action may be one reason why 69% of security decision makers believe that bad guys are always one step ahead. Employees must do their part. Devices must have up-to-date software and the use of multi-factor authentication must be standard practice. Users should also be reminded that business laptops should not be shared with other members of a household. In fact, one of the most effective things a task professional can do is set up and use different W-Fi networks. This means you keep your work computer on one and other connected devices like smart thermostats or voice assistants on another. Even if it means getting an updated router that supports it. But IT managers need to ensure that suspicious activity reports are as close to real time as possible. This requires a combination of securely engineered hardware and the latest software, both of which must be intuitive to end users and deployed throughout the enterprise's technology ecosystem. These tools allow IT teams to identify and isolate incidents that end users may not be aware of, an essential capability to keep all staff safe, but most importantly remotely.
Keep moving, even after your focus has stabilized
Right now, the remote workforce is in weeks, if not months, in a new normal operating mode. However, in addition to continuing to secure things, IT professionals need to consider several things on the horizon. At some point, there will be a return to the office that will require another systematic transformation. Some people will also want to continue working remotely now that it has become more common. Now is the time to start mapping out what these changes will look like and what railings should be in place. Companies should appoint a task force to determine how homework policies will change when offices reopen as 40% of IT decision makers say they will improve device security with Covid19. IT teams must determine what they need, from devices to communications systems and more, to accommodate more remote end users in the long term. When this pandemic spread, almost all companies were not prepared to carry out such a massive transformation so quickly. However, by continuing to prioritize cybersecurity and recognizing that our ways of working are forever changing, the next wave of change doesn't have to be as disruptive, for IT professionals or employees. As part of HP's commitment to supporting the workforce and maximizing cybersecurity, we offer free access to HP resources such as Sure Click Pro and security webinars.