Persisting Security Concerns Pose Challenges for Chief Information Security Officers in Remote Work Environments
In the wake of the pandemic-induced shift towards remote work, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are grappling with a host of new challenges in safeguarding their organisations' digital assets.
According to a recent survey, ransomware is the biggest concern for 80% of the organisations surveyed, while 72% of CISOs state that remote working has complicated their organisation's cyber resilience posture. Furthermore, 73% of the organisations surveyed identified remote devices as their biggest weakness.
The transition to flexible work practices has dramatically expanded the attack surface that security teams need to manage. The distributed nature of remote workforces requires more complex security measures to protect against evolving threats, necessitating robust, scalable security frameworks.
One of the main challenges is the limited oversight over how remote workers handle sensitive data. This includes the potential for sensitive information to be exposed to unauthorized individuals, such as family members or strangers. Remote work also makes it difficult to comply with data regulations due to the lack of control over data handling practices in diverse locations.
The rise in remote work significantly increases the attack surface for organisations by increasing the number of devices connected to the organisational network from different locations, making each device a potential entry point for cyberattacks. Remote workers often use unsecured public Wi-Fi or home networks, which can be easily compromised by hackers.
To address these challenges, CISOs can implement several strategies. Utilising secure access technologies like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Zero Trust frameworks ensures secure access to corporate resources from anywhere. Endpoint protection tools can be used to monitor and secure devices remotely. Multi-factor authentication can add an extra layer of security for remote access. Regular training for employees on cybersecurity best practices and ensuring frequent updates of software and systems can mitigate vulnerabilities.
Zero trust, which operates on the principle of 'never trust, always verify', secures the organisation by verifying every user, validating every device, and intelligently limiting access. Jon Jarvis advocates for the widespread adoption of zero trust security frameworks in the shift to hybrid work.
Phishing attacks targeting hybrid workers are a concern, and vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and remote access software are major risks in flexible work environments. The complications flexible working introduces to a cyber leader's security strategy are numerous, with one of the main concerns being the cyber hygiene of remote workers.
Despite the challenges, 43% of the CISOs surveyed admitted that their security teams had not been allocated enough budget to keep up with the growing number of threats. Nevertheless, with the right strategies and resources, CISOs can adapt to the complexities of remote work and maintain the security of their organisations.
In the context of the transition to flexible work practices, it's crucial for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to implement strategies such as using secure access technologies like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Zero Trust frameworks to ensure secure access to corporate resources in a hybrid working environment. The rise in remote work significantly increases the attack surface for organisations, making each device a potential entry point for cyberattacks, particularly when remote workers use unsecured public Wi-Fi or home networks. This underscores the need for stronger cybersecurity measures in remote work scenarios, including endpoint protection tools, multi-factor authentication, regular employee training on cybersecurity best practices, and frequent updates of software and systems.
