Is your company saying goodbye to the old way of working, in which all employees spend eight hours a day in the office and moving towards a flexible way of working from anywhere?

Businesses that adopt this latest model enjoy many benefits, but they should ensure that employees working remotely do not fall victim to phishing attacks. Making sure that anyone will not be a problem to the business by leaving it open to intrusions and financial losses is very important for function of.

To take one example, the number of Australians choosing to work away from the office for a few days or whole weeks continues to rise. In 2016, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed that a third of Australian workers worked from home on a regular basis. More recent research by the International Working Group (IWG) suggests the number increased significantly over the next three years. Around 50% of Australian employees worked remotely for at least half a year, according to a 2018 IWG survey. Two-thirds of respondents said they worked at least one day each week outside office.

To be able to achieve a minimum work-life balance, and to be able to adjust working hours to accommodate personal life is of course a very important advantage. The businesses, εν τω μεταξύ, μπορούν να αποκομίσουν τα οφέλη που απορρέουν από ένα πιο ευτυχισμένο και πιο ευχαριστημένο εργατικό δυναμικό – βελτιωμένη παραγωγικότητα και χαμηλότερη αμοιβή προσωπικού.

Ensuring that remote workers do not become weak links in the security chain has become a major challenge for IT departments and security professionals. The latest figures from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) show that the situation is worrying. In the first quarter of 2019, the OAIC received 215 notifications of significant data breaches. 61% of these are the result of malicious or criminal attacks

. Of these 131 breaches, two thirds involved cyber incidents such as phishing, malware and ransomware.

Εν τω μεταξύ, οι phishing (ηλεκτρονικού “ψαρέματος”) επιθέσεις έχουν γίνει πολύ πιο εξελιγμένες από ό, τι ήταν κάποτε. Έχουν περάσει οι μέρες των αναδημιουργημένων λογοτύπων και των κακογραμμένων προτροπών με στόχο την αποστολή χρημάτων ή των επειγόντων μέτρων για την αποφυγή επικείμενων νομικών διαδικασιών. Την θέση τους έχουν πάρει τα εξατομικευμένα και αξιόπιστα μηνύματα που μπορούν να καταφέρουν ακόμη και τους πιο υποψιασμένους παραλήπτες να ακολουθήσουν τις «οδηγίες» των hacker. Η εξασφάλιση ότι οι εργαζόμενοι δεν θα αναγκαστούν να το κάνουν – ή τουλάχιστον θα μειώσουν την πιθανότητα να συμβεί – απαιτεί μια συντονισμένη στρατηγική. Η ανάπτυξη μιας απλής λύσης για την προστασία των εργαζομένων και της επιχείρησης, ανεξάρτητα από την τοποθεσία, τη συσκευή και τις περιστάσεις, θα πρέπει να αποτελεί κρίσιμο στοιχείο αυτής της στρατηγικής.

Such technology is essential for any business that takes seriously its reputation and the financial and legal fallout that a data or systems breach can cause.

Prevention is better than cure treatment, and especially when it comes to phishing attacks, the Education is one of the best forms of prevention available. Not only in the form of awareness training, but also as part of an ongoing process, reinforced by annual or bi-annual retraining sessions, but with immediate training, delivered via email notification, as soon as a potential breach has been prevented.

All of this can help to raise awareness of safety in the workplace. cyberspace and reducing the likelihood of falling victim to phishing.