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16
S A F E A T H O M E
T
he COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote working
arrangements, with millions of employees transitioning to work-from-home
environments. As we emerge from the pandemic, trends towards adopting
hybrid and remote working options continue to increase. On the one hand,
remote working arrangements offer benefits like flexibility, convenience, and
improved work-life balance for employees, as well as a reduction in or elimination of brick-
and-mortar expenses for employers. On the other hand, the shift towards remote working
environments has introduced significant, and often costly, organizational-level challenges
around protecting company data and providing adequate cybersecurity measures.
According to a recent survey conducted by IBM and the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a
singular data breach is estimated at $4.45 million (Ponemon Cost of Insider Risks Global Report
- DTEX Systems Inc). These financial consequences, in combination with the increased frequency
and sophistication of cyberattacks targeting an expanding pool of remote workers, necessitate
organizational implementation of robust cybersecurity initiatives designed to minimize the risk
of a costly data breach or security incident. This white paper explores potential cybersecurity
dangers that often accompany working remotely and provides actionable steps to assist with
preventing costly security breaches by fortifying protective protocols around organizational data.
The shift to widespread remote work accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic significantly
altered the landscape of cybersecurity challenges. With employees accessing corporate networks
and sensitive data from home environments, the traditional security perimeter expanded, creating
new vulnerabilities and risks. Organizations must contend with an evolving set of challenges,
like securing home Wi-Fi networks, ensuring the safe use of personal devices for work purposes,
and mitigating the increased threat of phishing attacks and malware targeting remote workers.
Securing remote working environments also includes considering the potential dangers of listening
devices like Alexa, Siri, Google Home, etc. Moreover, the lack of direct oversight and control over
remote environments has made it more challenging for IT and security teams to enforce consistent
security policies and practices across the workforce. As a result, there is an increase in the level of
Safe at Home
by Kevin J. Foster, Sr.
