Many businesses in today’s world are familiar with mistakes to avoid with their network security, but now there’s a new angle to consider: remote cyber security. This brings new risks to the forefront, as employees are connecting to the business network from many different locations and unique devices.
While there are plenty of benefits to having distributed teams like this, it definitely opens up a whole new range of potential attack surfaces. If you don’t take ample measures to protect your network inside and out, it could lead to quite a bit of damage.
Without proactive security measures in place, you can end up with quite a few blind spots when it comes to network access. This article highlights five prevalent remote cyber security mistakes and how to avoid them before it’s too late.
Common Remote Cyber Security Mistakes
Remote work environments are becoming more common, but this also opens up more potential for mistakes when it comes to security risks. There isn’t as much control over device setups, and even small lapses, such as a weak password, can snowball into a much bigger issue for business networks.
Here are a few other angles to consider:
- Misconfigured cloud settings can lead to major network breaches
- Small mistakes can compound, creating weak links in the network that are easy to exploit
- Difficulties in network monitoring can lead to a lack of endpoint visibility
- Less oversight on device usage makes unified cyber security remote solutions harder to enforce
It isn’t that remote environments are a major red flag for business operations, but they require a different approach to cloud networking and security oversight and execution. For starters, it helps to avoid some of the most common mistakes known to stem from managing a remote workforce.
1. Weak Passwords and Poor Authentication Methods
It might seem easy to avoid, but weak passwords are much more common than you might expect. Many employees will rely on reused or simple credentials, especially when it comes to home devices.
This overlap in personal and professional accounts can increase the potential risk for widespread network compromise. Aside from that, a lack of effective multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a problem as well. Examples of risk mitigation here include thorough MFA policies, as well as password managers.
2. Overlooking Security Best Practices for Remote Workers
Many home Wi-Fi networks and employee personal devices lack proper business-level security. On a more specific note, what exposes many remote workers to attacks includes things like outdated firmware, router settings, and, as mentioned, weak credentials.
The truth is that devices like personal laptops and phones can benefit greatly from IT oversight on the business front. It really isn’t advisable to let these devices skip on their software or firmware updates. A few important best practices to follow include enforcing secure Wi-Fi, endpoint protection, and automatic updates across these devices.
3. Misconfigurations in Cloud Networking and Security
From SaaS to IaaS platforms, network and cloud security challenges can range from unencrypted storage to exposed APIs, and more. Many attackers are savvy enough to specifically target misconfigured cloud resources.
They know exactly what to exploit, which is why proper training, regular audits, and proactive configuration are so vital here. Cloud networking and security challenges are only going to expand as time goes on. Cutting corners on remote security enforcement or a lack of oversight in any way will only amplify these challenges for the business world.
4. Hybrid Cloud Security Challenges
When it comes to hybrid cloud environments, you’re combining potential risks that span from public, private, as well as on-premises resources. Also, taking into account that each cloud platform comes with various policies and access controls, it can lead to even more inconsistencies in security.
This is a space where things like shadow IT can be a big problem. A core example of this is employees using unapproved apps, which bypasses any IT oversight. This is why security policies and enforcement are so important. IT needs to have eyes on anything related to the business network, and hybrid cloud security challenges widen the risk potential and attack surfaces.
5. Neglecting Cloud and Network Security Monitoring
Monitoring remote cyber security isn’t the same as an on-premise focus. Neglecting the requirements in network and cloud monitoring not only limits visibility, but it also makes it much easier to exploit the network as a whole.
Remote connections from a diverse range of personal networks can make unauthorized access much harder to detect. Traditional on-premise security measures won’t cut it here, but there’s plenty that can be done to secure a fully remote or hybrid work environment.
How to Avoid Cyber Security Mistakes in Remote Environments
Avoiding cyber security mistakes related to a remote workforce is entirely possible. For the most part, it considers how you enforce security measures, as well as the hardware you’re working with. However, it requires a multi-layered approach that goes beyond the usual demands of on-premise security.
This is especially true if you want to keep an eye on network access coming from many different locations and personal devices. In the list below, you’ll find several important steps you’ll want to take to ensure remote network access is managed properly for the long run.
- Implement MFA requirements to secure all credentials
- Utilize Zero Trust principles to continuously verify devices, access rights, and your users
- Require the use of VPNs and encrypted connections
- Automate your patching policies for remote endpoints
- Cloud platforms should utilize least privilege access
- Identify and correct misconfigurations through automated compliance checks
- Use unified security policies across all hybrid and multi-cloud environments
- Support cloud monitoring with Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
- Make use of XDR tools for real-time network and endpoint visibility
- Proactively detect and respond to emerging threats with the help of threat intelligence
It’s all about staying one step ahead of the problem. In the realm of network security, the only way to achieve this is with a layered and proactive network security architecture.
Final Thoughts
From weak passwords to a vast range in potential attack surfaces or the use of third-party apps, there’s a lot of risk with remote work environments. That doesn’t mean they overshadow the benefits, but companies can’t cut corners on their security measures here.
Optimizing cloud configurations and hybrid environments to be protected on more than one layer is the name of the game. Strong passwords only go so far, which is why MFA, Zero Trust principles, and the many security best practices for remote workers are so vital. Consider having a chat with us at Firewalls to learn about the many tools you can use to improve remote cyber security measures for your business network.
