By; EFOSA JUSTIN
The reality of organizations today is tele-work, which has transformed from an exceptional practice into a prevailing norm since the global health crisis of 2020.
This mode of work, also referred to as remote work, is progressively becoming an imperative choice, driven by its dual advantage of bolstering the economies of both the remote worker and the company through significant cost reduction.
Organizations experience substantial cost savings due to reduced overhead expenses, while remote employees benefit from decreased commuting demands and enhanced schedule flexibility, resulting in increased personal savings.
However, this has also brought an increase in the rate of cybersecurity threats. With the increased risk of permanent data loss or theft, Cybersecurity for remote work fortification has become just as important as the need for the remote work method itself.
Cybersecurity threats are malicious activities aimed at infiltrating digital assets, with the intent to pilfer, manipulate, or obliterate data. Notably, remote work environments are susceptible to various cyber threats including data breaches, ransomware attacks, and cyber espionage. These risks tend to intensify in isolated settings, a scenario often encountered by remote workers who might lack robust cybersecurity protocols.
Gartner predicts that over half of US workers will shift towards remote work. At the same time, the implementation of lockdown measures compelled organizations to limit on-site personnel, compelling them to embrace remote work solutions. This transition was accompanied by an alarming surge in cyber threats, with a staggering 61% of organizations witnessing a surge of 25% or more in cyber threats since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was due to the movement and constant traffic of company data over a wider bandwidth of networks, further exposing these data to cyber threats. Dr. Torsten George, a leading cybersecurity expert at Absolute Software also said that ransomware attacks have seen over 150% increase year over year since the pandemic.
Ransomware attack is a cybercrime whereby a cybercriminal steals data, threatens to publish sensitive data or block access to a database from its rightful owner with the use of a malicious software until a ransom is paid in order to get it back. Some ransomware attacks might even destroy the data while others only restrict access from the original users. This can cause extreme data loss to the company and also truncate public trust in the organization.
Being one of the most dreaded cybersecurity threats faced by organizations, lots of research has been done on Ransomware Attack to mitigate its occurrence.
Numerous organizations have adeptly implemented preventive measures to curtail unauthorized access by cybercriminals to their databases. Among the array of practiced strategies, Identity Access Management (IAM) stands out prominently.
With the assignment of specialized database access passwords exclusively to authorized personnel, this approach serves to confine access solely to individuals possessing personalized access credentials. Concurrently, vigilant oversight of database accessibility is maintained through meticulous record-keeping. This diligent practice involves meticulous documentation of every instance of database access, detailing the actions executed during each access session.
The use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) which help to encrypt and hide the organization’s networks and connections.
Cyber criminals can gain access into data which is being trafficked over a network by tapping into the same network, however, VPNs can be used to hide company networks from intruders such that it is detectable to other endpoints. and carryout constant cybersecurity training of staff
Recent studies show that these preventive measures are not enough to stop headstrong cybercriminals.
“In 2021, 51% of reported cyber-attacks were successful even with preventive measures in place”, Dr. George said. Therefore, the need for a more efficient fortification of remote work cyberspace cannot be over emphasized.
This has necessitated the development of the Self-Healing Cybersecurity Solution, a more fortified method of securing remote cyberspace due to its modification to recover and respond faster to cyber threats.
The Self-Healing Cybersecurity method monitors self-preparedness and cyber hygiene so it’s easier to protect against malware. The Self-Healing technology is fiercely resilient to any attempt of tempering.
This technology can be used on multiple devices and be moved from one device to another thereby spreading its protective cover over new devices used to access work remotely. Once the technology is activated, it self-heals the device and extends its capabilities to the application layers of the new device.
Another Means of remote work cybersecurity fortification is the use of Artificial Intelligence to combat Cyber threats. Cyber-attacks have increased even more with the development of advanced AI as many of these cyber criminals now use AI-generated codes to create malware that can infiltrate a database even with primary preventive measures in place.
However, cybersecurity companies such as DarkTrace have made research on how to use Generative Adversarial Networks GANs to mitigate these types of threats. GANs work by learning these cyber attack methods and using them to make detection and response algorithms better. Which makes the GANs smarter over time.
There’s still a lot of work to be done on the cybersecurity of remote workspaces with the alarming rate of cyber-attacks increasing year on year. However, these methods can very much help to mitigate these attacks beyond just the human factor.
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