As Tripwire Magazine highlights, remote work continues to be a major challenge for enterprises making a shift during the on-going pandemic
According to TripWire magazine’s latest reports, over two-thirds of the organizations surveyed reported attacks on their IT infrastructure. The number is alarming. However, it speaks of key trends gripping the world of cybersecurity as more organizations shift their workstations to remote workplaces.
AI and Machine Learning Critical to Tackling Cyber Threats Say NTT
According to the survey, 63% of respondents surveyed reported that their organization had come under attack. The attacks worked on the familiar lines of Coronavirus-related attacks reported by organizations worldwide. For example, recently the Canadian health authority had reported a phishing email scam, in which the attackers imitated the IDs of the World Health Organization, promising a cure to Coronavirus.
The good news is, most respondents also believed the attacks had been unsuccessful. Only 2% of organizations reported a security breach during these incidences, wherein 61% reported unsuccessful attempts. Most of these attacks came in the form of phishing emails, ransomware, and social engineering attacks. However, as attacks mount, 91% of the people surveyed reported that they had become more concerned with cybersecurity as a result.
The growing numbers of cyber-attacks have become a common theme across several enterprises. Their growing need to work with remote teams has led this charge since a lack of awareness among employees and dated home-PC infrastructure can be major barriers to availing secure IT infrastructure. Among employees surveyed, 55% reported that cybersecurity had become their top concern. Moreover, 41% reported that computer configuration and compliance (38%) were a key concern when it came to remote workstations.
Enterprises around the world need to concern themselves urgently with trends like remote work. On one hand, remote work is a promising opportunity for enterprises as it can result in significant cost-savings through lower capital costs. On the other hand, the Tripwire survey highlighted some key security concerns which are important for enterprises to recognize. For example, over 89% of respondents surveyed noted that the transition to remote work had made their life incredibly difficult.
Over 49% of people believed that securing remote workstations was far more difficult. This isn’t surprising. Remote workstations present new challenges of its own including higher costs for acquiring new IT infrastructure concerns like individual privacy, and new security processes will shape the future of remote workplaces. Additionally, 48% believed employees were more susceptible to cyber threats while working from home. Moreover, 41% found it difficult to manage all the devices that accessed the corporate network.
Remote Work: Maximize Productivity amidst Covid-19 and Security Challenges
If the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent atmosphere of lockdowns continues, enterprises will need to make key changes in modern workplaces. Some of these changes include instilling more visibility in security infrastructure. Over 38% of people surveyed believed that it was difficult to get more visibility of remote assets and systems. Additionally, over 64% reported that security visibility had become more complex and challenging, following the transition to remote work.
While productivity remains at the core of objectives for enterprises, if recent attacks are anything to go by, IT security can no longer take a backseat.
