Thanks to improved technology, many Australian businesses today could have employees working from home. This was made possible through the use of digital tools for collaboration, storage and management.
SummaryHow to protect your remote workforce against phishing attacks1. Make sure your team has effective security tools2. Organize training3. Encourage regular data backupConclusionHowever, online hackers are taking advantage of this new workplace revolution. Most primarily target remote workers to access sensitive company data or exploit vulnerabilities in a company's network, programs or hardware. Their goal is to steal, destroy or modify information for financial gain and other bad intentions.
It is said that phishing is one of the most common cyberattacks that most companies employing remote workers would have had to face at least once in their life. This mainly happens if employees do not have effective cybersecurity training or tools. Also, if the team is not vigilant, phishing attempts can succeed.
Therefore, companies need to develop ways to protect their remote workforce from phishing scams. In this way, they will ensure maximum security for their data, programs, networks and hardware.
Phishing is a social engineering cyberattack used to steal or reveal sensitive data or install malware on a device. This happens when malicious individuals posing as reputable entities trick people into opening fraudulent emails or messages.
If you have remote workers, certain strategies could help protect them against phishing attacks. Today, most businesses in New South Wales outsource their information technology (IT) services to reputable support companies. These companies offer advanced cybersecurity solutions to keep remote teams safe. On top of that, they can also troubleshoot any issues they might encounter, ensuring they are at their most productive.
However, if you want to work with such companies, be sure to consider local companies. Remote businesses are always efficient. However, IT organizations in your area can be helpful, especially if you have a physical office with servers and other devices.
If hardware issues arise, they will ensure faster disaster recovery and avoid financial loss caused by IT downtime. Therefore, if you have, for example, an office in Sydney, consider Computer Help Sydney or other reputable companies near you. However, if you are based in other locations, you can search online to find the most reliable companies in your area.
If you don't want to hire an IT support company, there are some helpful steps you can take to protect your remote workforce from phishing scams. Some of these strategies are highlighted and well explained below. These are:
To protect your remote employees as much as possible, you must first ensure that they have effective security tools. It is advisable to ensure that they are using a virtual private network (VPN) and that they have anti-virus programs on their devices. Also, insist on firewalls and web and anti-spam filters to enhance their security.
All of these tools can be effective in preventing phishing attacks. VPNs will help encrypt their connections, preventing hackers from tracking their online activities and intercepting their data.
Antivirus programs and spam filters, meanwhile, can identify suspicious emails and prevent them from reaching your employees' inboxes. In addition, firewalls will block all attacks and web filters will ensure that your employees do not access malicious sites.
Without proper cybersecurity knowledge, your remote workers can easily fall victim to phishing attacks. Therefore, it is highly recommended to train them in the tactics hackers might use. Also advise them to avoid clicking on strange uniform resource locators (URLs) or opening emails and messages from unknown senders. Also, encourage them to update their passwords regularly and avoid accessing social networks using work devices.
To ensure effective training, conduct your sessions using fictitious scenarios. These will provide your team with real-life experience of how phishing works. This way, they will quickly identify any threat. As a result, you significantly reduce the risk of such attacks in your business.
Pirates are constantly improving their techniques. Therefore, your remote workers might fall for some advanced tactics. To prevent online criminals from gaining the upper hand, encourage your IT team to back up their data regularly. The cloud and external storage systems like USB sticks are supposed to be more efficient here.
Sometimes, after hackers gain access to sensitive data, they demand a ransom, threatening to destroy it. However, if this information has been stored in a secondary location, your team will have the upper hand. In this way, they will avoid financial losses that could result from blackmail or work interruptions.
Phishing scams have become quite common today with the rise of remote work. These can spell disaster for your business. They can disrupt work processes, reduce employee productivity, and damage reputations if your customers know you've been hacked. As a result, you could face significant financial losses.
Fortunately, several strategies can help protect your home team from phishing scams. Some of the measures that you could take are described and well explained in this article. They include:ensuring your remote workers have effective security tools, training them and encouraging them to ensure regular backup.
