Risk
Is Your Remote Workforce Secure? 5 Hidden Risks You Shouldn’t Ignore
Remote and hybrid work have become a fact of life in the last five years. Significantly more hybrid and fully-remote positions exist now, compared to the number of remote jobs available before the pandemic.
According to Gallup, 51% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs are in hybrid roles, meaning they are able to work on site as well as remotely. Gallup found that 28% of workers are in fully remote roles and 21% are on-site.
What does this mean for security? Well, going remote lowers some risks on-site; there is less risk of an active shooter, for example. However, there are other security concerns that come along with a remote workforce.
Five security concerns for a remote workforce
1. Cyber threats and information risk
While the physical risks of the workplace are reduced by a remote workforce, the risks of attack by cyber criminals are increased. Remote employees don’t necessarily have access to secure equipment, firewalls, and an IT department the way they do in an office setting, and bad actors know this.
When workers initially went remote in 2020, the Identity Theft Resource Center reported an uptick in unauthorized access to data in the months that followed. That has continued, according to a more recent report. Certain workers are more vulnerable to attack, such as those who use co-working spaces, or those who work abroad.
The most common cybersecurity mistake made by remote workers is a failure to encrypt sensitive data, the report found.
How can you avoid data breaches inadvertently caused by remote workers? By making sure your IT and information security teams are vigilant, by training your people to recognize phishing scams and observe basic cyber hygiene practices, and by keeping current on the sorts of attacks that criminals are using to target organizations.
2. Physical theft
Information theft by hackers is one thing, but remote employees are also vulnerable to good, old-fashioned, traditional theft. This can take the form of a break-in: if criminals break into an employee’s home and steal a laptop issued to them, that’s certainly a security concern. It can also take the form of intellectual property theft.
When your employees are in the office, you have some control over who sees your intellectual property. When they work from home, you don’t know that they haven’t invited a reporter into their home to show them the latest design of your newest prototype.
You have to have a certain level of trust in your employees when they work remotely, but you also have to have policies and NDAs in place so that they know exactly what the consequences are for intellectual property theft.
3. Carelessness
Intellectual property theft isn’t always nefarious. Employees often reveal proprietary information without meaning to do so. This happens in offices as well; a group of coworkers may take a selfie in front of a project they’re working on and post it on social media.
When your workers are remote, the chances of unauthorized eyes finding your work is multiplied by however many households your team members are living in. Visitors come over and see things by accident, spouses and kids borrow computers — there are many opportunities for carelessness to become a security risk. To combat this, make sure your team is trained to be compliant with best confidentiality practices, and invest in a solution that helps you stay on top of social media so that no intellectual property is accidentally released in a selfie.
4. Work-issued equipment
When your workforce is in an office, physical equipment is simple: employees come to the office, work with the equipment there, and go home. But when they work from home, the line can become blurred. You need to have a very clear understanding of what equipment your team is using, if they are to return it upon termination, and the condition in which you expect it returned.
This isn’t just important for the sake of inventory. It’s also important from an insurance standpoint: will you need a rider on office equipment you provide? What happens in case of theft or fire? You’ll need to answer these questions when your workforce is remote.
5. Your team’s work-life balance
Not everyone is cut out for remote work. Some people may have a hard time drawing boundaries between their work and personal lives. This can lead to overwork, stress, and potential burnout.
As an employer, this is where you need to define your company culture and your policies. Are you okay with interruptions from family members during meetings, for example? Do you allow family members to use the devices you provide? Should you think of your employees as workers, or write your policies to take care of them as a whole person?
Securing your remote workforce with Circadian Risk
There are a lot of pros to having a remote workforce, but there will always be risks. If you’re considering going remote, it’s time to perform a risk analysis for both scenarios — an in-house workforce and a remote team — so you can really understand the risks involved and make your plans accordingly.
Circadian Risk helps you assess and manage the full spectrum of risks facing your remote and hybrid workforce. Our platform gives you the visibility to analyze vulnerabilities across physical, digital, and human factors — no matter where your team is located. With detailed risk assessments, policy tracking, and data-driven dashboards, you can ensure your remote workforce stays secure, compliant, and productive.
Read our case study and see how a client saved 20% in security costs with Circadian Risk.
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