Pressure is growing to move employees back from remote work into office environments, often with the justification of the risks imposed by offsite cybersecurity threats, according to an article by Reef Pearson in CPO Magazine. However, many of these threats were introduced by companies unprepared for proper support of remote work, both due to the suddenness of the pandemic, and a lack of planning. More specifically, when employees were forced offsite, 44% reported their employers provided no cybersecurity training, and 66% of employers didn’t bother providing even a basic antivirus solution. With a lack of both training and tools that would be mandatory for in-office workers, it should be no surprise that remote employees were an easier point of attack for cybercriminals.
Instead of pulling people back into the office at a time when positivity rates for COVID-19 are climbing again, employers have the option of building a robust solution for remote workers. By providing employees with a company computer with remote access security controls, and mandating the use of both a VPN and two factor authentication, companies can minimise the cybersecurity risks of offsite work.
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