If you're setting up remote access to your infrastructure, it's important to not only provide all employees with connectivity to the services they need but also to take care of security. Those who have been doing network hacking have taken advantage of the widespread shift to remote working because of the pandemic. Instead of vulnerabilities in the firewall and perimeter of the work network, there are a huge number of vulnerabilities in home workstations.
Providing access to a company's information assets via remote connection is one of the most promising areas of information system development. In addition to the benefits arising from the mobilization of employees, there are also obvious problem areas - above all, the security of the data available through remote access.
But what is remote access? Simply said, remote access is the capacity to connect to a computer or network, whether it be at home or in the office, from a distance. To create a remote access connection, you can utilize a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a VPN. Any hardware and software combination that enables remote access connections is known as a remote access service, and several pieces of software exist that provide these services to enterprises.
Remote Access Security Risks
Whether or not the network dangers are deliberate, they are nonetheless foreseeable. Security risks are frequently posed by malware, users, and hackers. So there is always a need for protecting your IP from hackers.
There are several remote access security dangers, but the ones listed below stand out.
Lack of Knowledge
Lack of knowledge of traditional network security technologies, such as Firewalls and intrusion prevention systems, poses the first risk because those mechanisms may now be essentially irrelevant.
Password Exchange
Passwords are frequently shared between websites and computer users, especially when portable devices are involved.
Software
Software installed on PCs, tablets, and smartphones may not adhere to an organization's security policies, endangering confidential data, VPN connections, and other things.
Gadgets
In particular, when these systems are withdrawn from users' homes, laptops, tablets, phones, and other devices may not be encrypted, which could expose company assets and network connections.
Repairing
Another potential security hole is patching. Users occasionally choose not to apply patches because they are either unused to seeing the prompts or simply don't want to deal with them.
Insecure Backups
Endpoint data that is not backed up or is backed up to unsupported or insecure media, including USB sticks and consumer-based cloud services, is another concern.
Remote Access Through Home Computers
Some businesses give their employees work-specific computers that are strictly monitored and guarded. This is a fantastic security-enhancing technique.
However, many businesses don't provide this service or are unable to pay for corporate PCs for every employee. As a result, workers start using their personal computers for work. Your system will be more vulnerable to hacking by cyber criminal if your employees access your network remotely from their laptops in the following ways:
Home computers are frequently accessed by numerous users who visit numerous websites and run a wide variety of programs. Any of these activities can cause your computer to become infected with malware, making it simple for a hacker to target your company the next time you log into your office network remotely.
Home computers frequently have weak or no passwords, which makes it simple to acquire access and, if you remotely connect to your company's network, your workplace data.
Since most home computers are used to access organizations, the majority of consumer-ready antivirus programs won't stop sophisticated hackers from attacking your organization.
Many endpoint users connect to insecure Wi-Fi networks, access malicious websites, and download dangerous software, these actions make it simple for man-in-the-middle attacks and other hacking techniques to infect your computer. The compromised machine can provide the hacker access to your private network even if your VPN is safe. Thus, securing the network of the future for remote work.
Solutions to Remote Access Risks
Users are now more than ever making security decisions on behalf of the network team, which is at the heart of an organization's network security dilemma. Teams should consider their options for reducing such decisions or at the very least, reducing the impact they have on the company. Consider the techniques listed below.
Set up a VPN
To securely access sensitive data remotely, a VPN is a vital tool. You should be aware of the many types of VPNs and think about adopting them for your business. VPN for a PC at home is typically included with business-grade firewalls if you utilize them. Many IT firms that offer network management services offer VPNs.
Set up Antivirus and Firewall
A crucial first step in reducing the dangers associated with remote access is to select a Firewall that is appropriate for your organization's size, scope, and scale.
Make sure your Firewall has high availability programs, antivirus, and anti-malware software integrated.
Create an IPS and an IDS
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) are typically provided by reliable IT security firms. These tools will continuously monitor your network in the background, looking out for any potentially harmful or suspicious activity and notifying you if it is detected.
Restrict access to information
Each employee should only have access to the data they need to do their tasks, never give them access to all of your data systems.
Conclusion
There will be real hazards until technical staff, and management is working toward the same standards, regulations, and expectations in terms of security. You may also decide to utilize VPN software for high-level encryption and to limit the types of data that users can access remotely.
Don't only take care of these network security issues now. Analyze the threats to the business network and systems to see if increased remote connection monitoring is necessary. Remember to examine and update your workplace monitoring policy if you do this. Take a long-term view and identify your weaknesses, what needs to be repaired, and how they may be fixed.
