August 15, 2025
In today’s era of COVID-19, employers have had to completely change the way they run their companies while also helping their employees deal with all kinds of unforeseen circumstances surrounding working from home. Before the pandemic, only 29% of employees had the option to conduct work from home. Now, with working from home being the only option for many, the risks that go along with remote work are beginning to show. Many companies do not have the proper cybersecurity systems in place. Or they are simply not aware of the risks they open themselves up to when employees connect remotely.
Due to the rapidly changing environment, many companies had no time to even consider the different risk possibilities. William Altman, a Senior Analyst at the Global Cyber Center of NYC, stated, "Organizations of all kinds are facing an uptick in email-based threats, endpoint-security gaps, and other problems as a result of the sudden switch to a fully remote workforce.”It is important to note that while all risks should be considered, the threats faced each week will differ if they occur. Each threat will not hold the same level of seriousness, so triage will need to be implemented so that the most dangerous risks can be addressed first.
The list of scenarios that pose a threat to companies can be long, but there are a select few that prove to be more common than most. One of these pertains to the use of VPNs, or virtual private networks. This helps extend encrypted networks to the homes of individuals, which has proven to be a necessity for most.
Although VPNs are supposed to prevent security breaches, many home networks have been compromised or infected with hacking malware without the knowledge of the individuals living there. When a VPN is compromised, it becomes easier for staged attacks to occur because of the “piggybacking” maneuver that is implemented. Although this can sound alarming, it is a preventable scenario. It is important to reach out to your VPN vendors so that you can account and prepare for these possible issues before they occur.
There are also many security threats surrounding company emails that have increased in number, known as phishing attacks. These continue to evolve, and because of this, they are hard to track. Hackers implement this scam by sending emails to individuals disguised as coming from legitimate establishments. Within these emails are malicious links and attachments that only require one click to give the hacker access to the individual's device. From there, they are able to access private information with the possibility of not being detected until it’s too late.
Similar to phishing scams, entire mobile apps and websites can pose as legitimate organizations the public and employees use regularly. By taking advantage of users’ trust, biases, and vulnerabilities, hackers can weaponize information to harm the public, or specific groups of people. Once installed, these programs are able to download harmful software that has been created to steal sensitive information.
The world of data security software can seem overwhelming. However, it is paramount that every place of business makes data security a top priority. A company's reputation for security will follow them, especially if there is a breach surrounding sensitive client information. Not to mention the legal and financial impacts.When a company studies the possible security threats they face, they stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities and get the chance to update these measures as new threats become known. Two key benefits that come with data security include breach and data theft prevention and lowering the risk of lost data overall.
Sensitive data is constantly being targeted by hackers. The theft of this data typically results in it being sold on the dark web, which puts the company at risk. There is also the possibility of a ransom being done in an attempt to get large amounts of money from a company. When figuring out how these security breaches begin, companies have usually tied them back to employee’s use of weak passwords or poor authentication processes. When data security is utilized, the line of defense surrounding this information is strengthened. This defense further prevents many types of breaches from occurring.
The prevention of data loss is also extremely important with regard to a company’s success. When data is lost, it can prove to be disastrous for not just the company, but also its clients and customers. In the unfortunate case where data breaches do occur, having security measures in place aid in recovering the stolen data and the overall prevention of them happening again. Data security post-breach will also help in detecting future intrusions by analyzing and closing any remaining or newly discovered vulnerabilities.
Data Security Software is one of the most important software investments a company can make to ensure their data is safe. Some of these software options include general data security, database security, data loss prevention, identity management software, and data masking software.
General data security includes any security system that encrypts data by only allowing access to authorized parties. First, determine who should have access to what data will help in ensuring this level of software is best optimized. Administrators and management, who conduct tests to make sure the existing system is performing properly, implement, and manage this access. This software also extends to mobile devices to ensure certain malicious software applications aren’t being downloaded.
Database security software was designed to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to company databases. This entails a firewall and encryption to prevent the access and distribution of information that has been deemed sensitive.
Data loss prevention usually has three different uses: information security, maintaining backup operations, and ensuring compliance. With these tools in place, companies stay prepared for potential incidents by making sure information is stored properly, in transit, and at rest. This software helps prevent the permanent loss of data in the case that a breach does occur and creates an audit trail for analysis and compliance.
There are various ways in which identity management software tools are used. Some of the tools offer the tracking of customers who do not have access to certain information and the permissions surrounding user access to critical information. This software also helps manage the implementation of strong passwords and works to keep programs up to date.
This technology aids in the concealment of sensitive information from the public. An unusual characteristic of this security software is the use of symbols or characters to hide information rather than a full encryption system.
Whether you want to transition to work from home or are currently already doing it, these strategy tips are important to know for overall data security. Cisco reported that almost 6% of work-from-home employees participated in file transferring between work and personal computers. This behavior can be categorized as high-risk due to it putting company data in a compromising and unauthorized state.
The first tip when implementing a strong data security plan for virtual employees is to create a secure connection. Secure networks are crucial when conducting any type of business so consider requiring employees to use a VPN. A virtual private network helps eliminate the worry of remote workers transacting with corporate data on an unsecured public connection.
When employees are working from home, the required tools and skills to monitor and support them should be provided to a dedicated team, such as the IT team, who typically manage remote devices. That way, they can monitor and oversee most of the remote activities carried out by your employees. This is usually done through the utilization of browser privacy, password management, and the configuration of firewalls.
Another strategy to consider is the protection of employees’ devices surrounding malware, viruses, and access through unauthorized entities. The regular updating of all operating systems should be enforced, and only security software trusted by the company should be installed.Utilizing these strategies helps offer companies peace of mind knowing that they are going above and beyond to protect their company and the employees that work for them.
With remote work being a necessity and attacks by scammers only becoming more common, it is important to instill the proper work from home guidelines. These include avoiding public Wi-Fi, keeping private data on work devices, being vigilant when working in public, and encrypting sensitive data.
Public Wi-Fi does little to offer security due to the fact that other people can access the network as well. With the lack of a firewall present, hackers can easily access your computer while potentially sitting right next to you. Your traffic can also be monitored by anyone who chooses to observe because it hasn’t been encrypted.
Although it might not seem like an issue to use your personal computer to answer a quick work email, it is important to acknowledge the differences in security on each device. When using your company computer, there are almost always protocols being followed and implemented by an IT team. This entails precautions such as antivirus scans and the blocking of potentially malicious websites.The same can’t be said for a personal computer unless employees have taken the time to implement these protocols themselves. Because this can’t always be ensured, it is always best to keep work data contained to company devices.
Encrypting data holds many benefits and is especially important when sending sensitive data through email. It is common for some third parties to attempt the interception of data while it’s being sent. If this data is encrypted, the information will not be viewable by anyone who is not the intended recipient.
Being an award-winning digital transformation solutions company, DAS has a proven track record of successful data security projects. Data security challenges will continue to arise within the work-from-home era, and DAS is ready and able to assist you with them. We believe it is important to create a working environment that feels safe and secure for all employees, whether they are onsite or remote.A core tenant of our services is ensuring the security of all of our customers’ data and systems, now more than ever. For more information on how we can help create a safer working environment for you and your employees, schedule an appointment here.
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