Over the past year, the threat landscape has changed dramatically and as organisations are forced to go for hybrid workforce. Read on to know more…
The threat landscape has shifted considerably in the last year, and as businesses adjust to the “next normal,” they must likewise adjust their cybersecurity strategies. In several cases, organisations are reverting to a hybrid model from remote working. Insider attacks – those that originate within an organisation’s network – are one of the threats we expect to be particularly prevalent in this new scenario.
The resulting threat scenario can be the result of malicious or accidental human mistake on the part of anyone from a current or former employee to a consultant or a third party.
Challenges of Hybrid Workforce
One issue contributing to the increased risk is that the actors may not even realise they’re doing it. For example, a breach could result from something as simple as bringing an infected device or document into the office after working remotely, or sharing critical information with personal accounts that aren’t secure.
As for several organisations, having a hybrid workforce poses numerous unique cybersecurity challenges. For instance, we should expect increasingly blurred distinctions between online activity on corporate and personal devices as employees acclimate to working both remotely and in the office in the next normal.
Staying Secure
As a result of hybrid workforce, organisations must do all possible to provide their employees a secure and efficient method of accessing internal apps in the public cloud or data centre, regardless of their location. The security team in organisations must essentially establish and enable secure “work from anywhere” practises.
Maintaining a secure workplace for employees and keeping cyber criminals at bay requires educating the staff. Employees must be trained on cyber hygiene best practises and how to adopt a zero-trust posture.
Your work network is more vulnerable to threats than in the traditional working model since employees use their personal devices at home. The best defence against intrusions is to have several levels of security. Here are some of the cybersecurity layers you should have in place to mitigate the risk of having a hybrid workforce:
Organizations should also consider deploying security capabilities that include eXtended Detection and Response (XDR) security which includes risk intelligence. They will be able to prioritise threats, predict which malware campaigns will be launched against them, and strengthen their defensive countermeasures ahead of time.
Zero Trust Mindset
With the rise in cloud adoption over the last year or two, having a Zero Trust mindset has never been more vital. When it comes to security, enterprises who have Zero Trust mindset don’t trust anyone, both outside and inside their networks.
The Zero Trust tech allows enterprises to restrict access controls to networks, apps, and the environment without losing performance and user experience, giving them a more holistic approach to IT security and network defences.
Increased cloud use, while necessary for efficient business operations and enhancing innovation, can make it more challenging for IT teams to determine who and what can be trusted within a network if proper security is not implemented. This is where, a Zero Trust mindset can help teams reduce the risk of their cloud and container deployments while also enhancing governance and compliance.
A Brief Conclusion
Cyberattacks have become more dangerous as a result of the change to hybrid models, because not only is your work environment at risk, but there is also a greater possibility that a hacker would steal personal and official data from your personal computer.
While IT and security team must play their role, end users must also be vigilant for suspicious links, update their passwords on a regular basis, and exercise basic cybersecurity hygiene. Finally, the collaborative approach offered by the shared responsibility model ensures greater transparency and accountability, which is critical for assuring industry best practise.