Keeping organizations safe from cyberattacks is a challenge for any organization and this problem becomes even greater with the remote and even hybrid work model.
This is because controlling people from a distance tends to be more difficult and makes everyone understand the importance of cybersecurity and the main thing is to incorporate this into their attitudes, worries leaders and the IT team.
After all, remote work offers several benefits for organizations and people, such as greater flexibility and productivity. However, it creates a set of cyber risks that organizations need to be prepared to deal with.
Why is cybersecurity a challenge in hybrid work?
Cybersecurity is a significant challenge in remote work due to profound changes in the way people access and use corporate resources outside of the controlled office environment.
This is because this flexibility in the corporate environment has expanded the attack surface, exposing organizations to new risks.
One of the main issues is the security of connections, after all, when employees access important systems and information from home or public networks, which do not have the same levels of protection, they put this data at risk.
This happens because these networks can be targets of attacks by cybercriminals who exploit vulnerabilities, such as:
Lack of encryption;
Use of default passwords on routers;
Fake links.
These actions put at risk the security not only of the person, but also of the organization, opening the door to invasions and data theft.
Another critical point that tends to be a risk to digital security is the use of personal devices in remote work.
While this is often used by institutions to reduce operational costs, it ultimately makes it difficult to implement unified security controls.
It is important for organizations to understand that personal devices are most often not adequately protected with antivirus, regular updates, or encryption, making it a weak link in the security chain.
In addition, the absence of clear separation between personal and corporate data on these devices increases the risk of sensitive information being leaked.
Remote and hybrid work accentuate attacks targeting human behavior as well.
This is because isolation and dependence on digital tools have created opportunities for more sophisticated phishing campaigns, which often simulate business communications.
Cybercriminals exploit the difficulty of remote collaborators in verifying the authenticity of requests and with that their crimes tend to be more and more convincing.
Something that tends to make it even more difficult to understand cybersecurity in remote and hybrid work is the lack of regular training.
After all, in a work environment where most interactions are done online, people need to be constantly updated on the best security practices, as well as how to identify threats and adopt safer habits.
Finally, monitoring and responding to incidents becomes more complex in remote work.
Without direct control over devices and access, IT teams struggle to:
Apply updates;
Monitor suspicious activity;
React quickly to security events.
This is compounded by the increased reliance on cloud services, which, despite their advantages, can be compromised by misconfigurations such as inappropriate permissions.
How to overcome the challenges of cybersecurity in hybrid work?
As we have seen, the remote and hybrid work model presents a series of risks to the safety of people and especially organizations.
To overcome these challenges, it is essential that organizations adopt an approach that combines the implementation of advanced technologies, the definition of clear policies and the continuous education of people.
Adopt the Zero Trust security model
The Zero Trust security model is an approach that assumes that no entity, whether internal or external to the corporate network, can be automatically trusted.
And what does this mean? Unlike traditional security models, which often assume that devices and users within the corporate network are trusted, Zero Trust adopts a philosophy of never trust, always verify.
In this way, access and sensitive information will only be made available to people who really need this data, otherwise access will be denied.
This action is important, as the vulnerability of a system can be measured by how many people have access to it, that is, the more people, the greater the risk of leakage and cyber attacks.
Thus, each attempt to access data or systems, regardless of its origin, must be rigorously validated.
Therefore, because the Zero Trust model requires constant scanning and network segmentation, the chances of a cybercriminal exploiting a loophole and moving laterally into the corporate network are significantly reduced.
Use VPNs and data encryption
Using VPNs and data encryption ensures the security of communications in the remote and hybrid work environment, because both technologies protect sensitive information, preventing critical data from being accessed, intercepted, or corrupted.
After all, VPNs create a kind of secure tunnel between people's device and the corporate network.
This tunnel encrypts data traffic, which means that any information transmitted between the device and the organization's network is protected from interception.
In the case of hybrid and remote work, this action is extremely important, as it allows greater control of IT teams, even if people access the corporate network from locations outside the company's controlled environment.
In this way, by encrypting data traffic, VPNs prevent attackers from intercepting information during transmission, such as on public Wi-Fi networks or in unsecured communication environments.
Data encryption, on the other hand, refers to the process of converting data into an encoded form so that it can only be read by someone with the appropriate key.
Do you know when you need a code to access a system or a social network? So this is encryption, a technology that creates an additional security barrier to protect our data.
In the context of remote work, encryption is very important and helps ensure that sensitive data is protected.
With this, by combining VPNs and data encryption, institutions create a very important security layer to protect information in the remote work environment.
This is because, by protecting both the transmission and storage of data, companies can minimize the risks associated with information leaks, cyber attacks, and unauthorized access.
Implement device management tools
It is important for organizations to ensure the security of people's devices, so that they do not get hacked and become a vulnerability. In this way, implementing device management tools maintains security.
After all, in a remote or hybrid work environment, the use of personal devices by employees increases security risks, because the devices are not directly controlled by the IT team.
In this way, mobile device management tools such as MDM (Mobile Device Management) and endpoint management are solutions that allow you to manage, monitor, and secure the devices used by employees.
This action is very important, as it ensures the security of people, their devices and organizations without compromising privacy or personal use of computers and smartphones
As such, MDM and EMM allow IT to apply security policies uniformly across all devices, ensuring that all employees follow the same rules.
Using mobile device management (MDM) and endpoint management (EMM) tools is one of the most effective ways to ensure security in a remote or hybrid work environment.
These solutions offer a centralized approach to securing personal devices, improving compliance with security regulations, and ensuring employee privacy is respected.
While implementing these tools can present challenges, the benefits in terms of data protection and risk reduction make them indispensable in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.
Ongoing training and awareness
It is necessary to keep in mind that continuous training and awareness are fundamental pillars to strengthen cybersecurity in any organization, especially in times of remote and hybrid work.
After all, digital threats evolve rapidly, so relying only on protection technologies and tools is not enough.
Therefore, it is essential for organizations to ensure that all employees are prepared to identify and mitigate risks, creating an organizational culture of safety.
The main reason to adopt regular training is the dynamic nature of cyber threats, this is because cybercriminals are always developing new strategies and exploiting vulnerabilities, such as:
More sophisticated phishing emails;
Attacks based on artificial intelligence;
Psychological manipulation.
In this way, without up-to-date training, people can open security breaches in systems and become the weakest link in the security chain, putting companies at risk.
In addition, several cyberattacks exploit human errors, such as clicking on malicious links or using weak passwords. Therefore, empowering people to avoid these mistakes is an essential step in protecting the organization's data.
Organizations need to combine microlearning, practical simulations, to maintain a strong organizational culture, ensuring that employees are prepared to face ever-evolving threats.
This approach protects the company's assets and promotes greater trust and responsibility among people, turning them into allies in protecting against cyberattacks.
PhishX is your partner
The hybrid and remote environment has brought significant challenges to cybersecurity, increasing the risks of attacks such as phishing, ransomware, and data leakage.
The PhishX ecosystem offers integrated solutions that help organizations protect their digital assets efficiently, with a focus on awareness, automation, and intelligent protection.
The PhishX Awareness Platform promotes personalized training and phishing simulations, strengthening the safety culture of employees and reducing human errors.
PhishX Assistant enables agile and secure analysis of suspicious messages, relieving IT teams and speeding up incident responses.
In addition, our platform has detailed reports where organizations can visualize threats, user behavior, and the effectiveness of security strategies, adjusting their actions proactively.
By investing in PhishX solutions, organizations strengthen their defenses, educate their employees, and create a resilient and safe work environment, overcoming the challenges of the hybrid and remote landscape.
Want to know more? Get in touch with our experts!
Kommentare