As working remotely has become the new normal, businesses need to adjust their cybersecurity practices to account for the unique issues remote work poses to security. A recently released report from the Ponemon Institute uncovered the cybersecurity challenges of working remotely, and provided tips for increasing security in a remote environment. The results of the study, as well as tips to increase cybersecurity are discussed.

Cybersecurity Challenges of Working Remotely: Study Results

The study conducted by Ponemon Institute, entitled Cybersecurity in the Remote Work Era: A Global Risk Report, surveyed 2,215 security professionals and IT specialists across the United States and Europe to determine how the remote environment stemming from COVID-19 has affected cybersecurity.

Additional Reasons

◈ 56% of respondents believe that the remote environment has significantly reduced their ability to respond quickly to a cybersecurity incident

◈ 59% of respondents reported that their has been a significant increase in access to business-critical applications, with 56% of applications accessed from mobile devices

◈ 69% of respondents that reported that their organization requires user authentication reported that they don’t use multi-factor authentication

◈ 51% of respondents reported that malware got past their organization’s intrusion detection systems, with 49% of respondents reporting that they got past their organization’s anti-virus software

◈ 61% of respondents reported that their organization has experienced a cyberattack

◈ 56% of cyberattacks involved credential theft, while 48% involved phishing/social engineering

◈ 45% of respondents believe their organization’s IT security budget is adequate

◈ 39% of respondents believe that their organization is prepared to manage and mitigate the cybersecurity challenges of working remotely

◈ 53% of respondents reported that their organizations are implementing the necessary security measures to adapt to the remote work environment

◈ 50% of the respondents reported that their organizations are utilizing encryption to protect sensitive data stored on workers’ devices

Cybersecurity Challenges of Working Remotely: Tips to Increase Cybersecurity

To address the cybersecurity challenges of working remotely, it is important to adapt your organization’s security practices.

Policies and Procedures. To increase cybersecurity, your organization should create policies and procedures surrounding the remote work environment. This may include security measures required for remote employees, the use of personal devices to access work materials, and requirements for reporting suspicious activity.

Employee Training. HIPAA already requires organizations to conduct annual training on HIPAA basics and your organization’s policies and procedures. In addition to this training, employees should be trained on how to recognize suspicious activity and phishing emails.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). When allowing employees to use their own device (BYOD) to access work materials, it is important that employees enable security features to secure the device from unauthorized access. These measures may include enabling a PIN, fi