>> CYBERSECURITY
Combating Cyberthreats While Working Remote
By Brad Atkin CPA , CISA , CITP , SOC Shareholder , IT Advisory and Security Group
After over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing its way into our lives , an unprecedented number of employees have seen a familiar environment become their workspace : their homes . Work is now completed over home internet service providers ( ISPs ) via unsecured routers , nosy building neighbors listen in on private business calls containing sensitive information and partners may share a machine while working for a different company . While there ’ s no place like home , there ’ s also no place easier to attract cyberthreats .
Every day , more and more new security threats surface . Hackers use ageold tactics such as phishing emails while developing new COVID-19-related scams , preying on our need to buy supplies , read the latest news and learn how to recover from the virus if we catch it . For example , a recent scam included hackers developing an app posing as the World Health Organization ( WHO ). Anyone could easily mistake the app for a genuine one , and if downloaded , the application steals sensitive information right from your phone . Old-school security measures such as firewalls may have historically worked to stop these cyberthreats , but hackers are getting smarter each day . This means in order to have your staff work entirely remotely , it ’ s time to rethink how to approach cybersecurity .
2 VIEWpoint Issue 1 | 2021