decrypting myths
Threat actors love
to exploit real world
tragedies and
COVID-19 is
no different.
suspicion, even though not all of them
are malicious. Palo Alto Networks is
continually updating the latest COVID-19
related cyberthreats.
Attackers are also taking advantage
of the fact that many people who are
working from home have not applied
the same security on their networks
that would be in place in a corporate
environment or that enterprises haven’t
deployed the right technologies or
corporate security policies to ensure
that all corporate-owned or corporatemanaged
devices have the exact
same security protections, regardless
of whether they’re connected to an
enterprise network or an open home
Wi-Fi network.
Both business leaders and individual
employees have critical roles and
responsibilities in securing their
organisation and in ensuring that
cyberattacks do not further compound
the already disrupted work environment.
How businesses can respond
In this critical time, business leaders
have a heightened responsibility to
set clear expectations about how their
organisations are managing security
risk in the new work environments,
leveraging new policies and technologies
and empowering their employees.
It’s important that messages on
security come from the very top of an
organisation and that good examples
are set from the start. Here are three
recommendations for business leaders.
Understand the threats to your
organisation. Business leaders should
work with their security teams to identify
likely attack vectors as a result of more
employees working from home and
prioritise the protection of their most
sensitive information and businesscritical
applications.
Provide clear guidance and encourage
communication. They must ensure
that homeworking policies are clear
and include easy-to-follow steps that
empower employees to make their
homeworking environment secure.
This should include instructing employees
to communicate with internal security
teams about any suspicious activities.
Ryan Olson, Vice President, Threat
Intelligence (Unit 42) at Palo Alto Networks
Provide the right security capabilities.
Leaders should ensure all corporately
owned or managed devices are equipped
with essential security capabilities,
68 Issue 28 | www.intelligentciso.com