COVID-19 has changed the way business operations are taking place in an incredibly short time, and the duration of these changes remains unclear. However, there is one thing businesses must be cognizant of, and that’s cybersecurity.
There has never been a time in American history when the number of employees working on a remote basis has been this high. This comes with security vulnerabilities, which many employers may be overlooking.
Due to the sudden influx in remote work, many businesses were not prepared. Meaning, they do not have laptops for employees to take home for work purposes. Therefore, they are relying on employees to use personal devices to access company networks.
This in itself is a security hole. First, it is unclear what, if any, security solutions are installed on these devices. Second, employees are using the devices for dual purposes — personal and professional. Let’s dissect that risk for a second. If an employee is connected to their corporate network for work purposes, then checks personal email or logs into social platforms potentially clicking on malware-riddled webpage the malware not only can, but will spread to the company’s network through the remote access port.
To mitigate the threat of cyberattacks executing while businesses operate remotely, companies should consider employing the following three best practices:
Businesses must ensure the devices remote employees are using to access company networks have a security solution installed that complies with the National Institute of Security and Technology standards, including application whitelisting. Additionally, companies should provide IT administrators with remote management tools to monitor access points of the corporate network to monitor for potentially dangerous activity. Lastly, remote desktop protocol (RDP) ports must be controlled. Leaving these ports open 24/7 is negligent. Remote access should only be available during operational hours, and granted to those which need it for the completion of daily duties.
It is because of this need, many companies quite possibly have overlooked, PC Matic is offering free cybersecurity and remote management tools to newly established remote workstations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. PC Matic is dedicated to protecting businesses, big and small, as the Nation continues to navigate through this health crisis.
To learn more about PC Matic’s free cybersecurity and remote management tools, go to www.pcmatic.com/covid19.
