2020 introduced fundamental changes to the workspace for many individuals around the world. While COVID-19 took a toll on countries everywhere, people adapted – and businesses adapted as well, ensuring many employees could work from home.
Now, more than halfway through 2024, COVID-19 has faded into the background for most businesses – yet the trend of working from home remains.
By the end of 2023, the concept of "work-from-anywhere" has only solidified its place in the modern workplace. Recent studies show that 40% of U.S. job seekers actively prefer fully remote roles, while 33% seek hybrid arrangements – a shift indicating that employees are increasingly valuing flexibility in where and how they work. In parallel, businesses have embraced these preferences; 63% of high-growth companies now operate under a hybrid or “productivity anywhere” model. The same trend applies to Europe, where according to the Okta Hybrid work Report 2023, 43% of European companies allow on-site employees to work from home or other locations for a few days each week or month, while 45% enable remote work for up to three days per week.
The numbers confirm that remote and hybrid work is more than a trend – it’s a sustainable work model that many organizations and their employees have come to expect.
If you’re a business considering or already providing remote work opportunities for your employees, here are three key cybersecurity risks to keep in mind.
Top cybersecurity risks of remote work
1. The larger attack surface of remote work increases cybersecurity vulnerabilities
With more remote work comes more opportunities for criminals. Every device your workers use, from phones and tablets to laptops and computers, is a potential target. Criminals can use these avenues of attack to find vulnerabilities in your organization as a whole.
Historically, criminals have used remote workers to create an opening that forces larger-scale attacks like DDoS strikes. These are often used as a cover or distraction for more damaging attacks.
With remote work comes more opportunities for cybercriminals – simply because remote work depends on Internet connectivity. Every device your employees use, from phones and tablets to laptops, interconnected over the Internet, represents a potential vulnerability. Cybercriminals can exploit these multiple points of access to identify security weaknesses to access your organization’s network via remote employees.
On top of that, businesses that make services accessible to remote workers over the public Internet, often through VPNs for secure access, unintentionally create additional points of entry for cybercriminals. Hackers can use methods like port scanning to locate IP addresses and identify open ports on networked devices and VPNs, allowing them to probe for weaknesses and potential entry points – especially zero-day vulnerabilities.
The combined effect of an expanded attack surface and cybercriminals’ systematic scanning techniques increases exposure to ransomware, malware, and DDoS attacks, making remote work cybersecurity a top priority.
Case in point: In 2023, a significant increase in VPN vulnerabilities was observed, with a 47% rise compared to the average over the previous two years. Looking ahead, projections indicate a further 22% increase in VPN vulnerabilities in 2024, emphasizing the need for organizations to proactively enhance their cybersecurity strategies to mitigate these evolving risks.
2. Zero-day vulnerabilities in VPNs weaken remote work security
In 2024, 80% of companies rely on VPNs to secure remote employee access, according to the 2024 VPN Risk Report by Cybersecurity Insiders. While VPNs are vital tools for network security in remote work environements, they’re also highly visible to hackers, and zero-day vulnerabilities present a particularly high risk.
Zero-day exploits target software or hardware vulnerabilities that the vendor is unaware of, making them especially dangerous. Attackers who find these security gaps before the business does gain the advantage of “zero days” for the company to apply a fix, allowing hackers to act swiftly. Given that VPNs are a popular target, once hackers identify a vulnerability in a specific VPN software, they can quickly locate and attack organizations using it, raising cybersecurity risks for remote work.
Case in point: In January 2024, Ivanti disclosed two critical vulnerabilities affecting all supported versions of its Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure Gateway products, widely used by businesses for enabling secure remote work access. These vulnerabilities allowed attackers to run unauthorized commands on compromised systems, putting networks at risk.
3. Hybrid work environments face more cyber threats due to backdoor vulnerabilities
When cybercriminals infiltrate a network, it’s rarely a one-time event. Backdoors or hidden access points are often left behind, allowing attackers to re-enter and exploit the system repeatedly. Even after a vulnerability is patched, attackers may still have a foothold, putting the organization in a state of ongoing risk.
Remote work creates easier entry points for attackers because of the increased attack surface, making it an attractive target for disrupting entire networks. This shift has led to persistent threats becoming a regular cybersecurity challenge for businesses.
Case in point: Though initially detected in 2020, the SolarWinds Orion attack continued to impact organizations for years after the detection. Attackers used backdoors in SolarWinds software to maintain unauthorized access over an extended period, impacting numerous organizations relying on the tool for remote monitoring.
Enhancing remote work cybersecurity with Anapaya GATE on the SCION Internet
With remote work here to stay, businesses must rethink cybersecurity strategies that rely on traditional defenses like firewalls and VPNs. As organizations expand remote access to critical services beyond their internal networks, many still rely on firewalls and VPNs to block unwanted access. However, these tools, which operate by blocking specific IP addresses or types of traffic, are proving less effective against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Firewalls can be vulnerable to exploitation, and they often fall short in mitigating threats like DDoS attacks that overwhelm these barriers.
Anapaya GATE operating on the SCION Internet, introduces a new approach to network security for remote work. In fact, SCION allows business critical services to be hidden from general Internet access, while selectively granting access to its employees via Anapaya GATE. Instead of focusing on “who to keep out,” Anapaya GATE focuses on “who to let in” – an essential shift that limits exposure and reduces attack risks.
Top benefits of Anapaya GATE for strengthening security in remote work environments
- DDoS attack prevention: By making services reachable only from targeted networks, Anapaya GATE reduces the risk of DDoS attacks targeting your critical system and secure remote work. With the GATE, unwanted traffic does not even reach the firewall/VPN server.
- Reduced visibility to cybercriminals: With selective access, certain services remain effectively “invisible” to typical attack sources, shielding them from cyber threats such as malware and ransomware and ensuring a safer home office environment.
- Enhanced resilience: SCION’s network backbone enables data to take multiple paths, ensuring stability and robust access even in the event of an attack so remote workforce can keep being operative for business continuity.
For organizations ready to elevate their remote work cybersecurity strategy, Anapaya GATE offers a robust solution tailored to the demands of modern workplaces, effectively giving businesses the flexibility and security they need in today’s digital landscape.
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