Protecting your business in a remote world

As organizations shift towards remote work, they face increased cyber threats, necessitating the attention of business leaders, security teams, and IT executives.

The incidence of data breaches and malware attacks is mounting, with a recent study finding that 20% of organizations suffered data breaches due to remote workers. Furthermore, IBM's "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021" reveals that remote workforces took 58 days longer to identify and contain breaches than their office-based counterparts, underscoring the changing nature of the risks posed by a growing remote workforce.

Many are looking to desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solutions to address the expanding security and compliance demands necessitated by hybrid work environments. Gartner stated a 26% rise in DaaS investment by December 2022.

How to tackle remote-workforce security issues

Remote work security measures depend on the type of infrastructure and operating system companies use. Different strategies and tools are needed for Linux, Mac, and Windows systems to ensure endpoint protection, identity access management, vulnerability management, data protection, and threat management. However, creating a universal security approach is difficult because of the differences among these systems.

Mobile device management (MDM) and Unified Endpoint Management software can help secure most Windows and Linux systems. These tools enable IT departments to control and automate administrative policies on laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices connected to a company's network. Although MDM software can help meet security objectives, managing multiple hardware and software platforms is challenging.

Windows systems integrate better with identity management (IdM) security software than others. IdM controls access to technology resources within an organization to ensure authorized personnel can complete their work. Popular IdM software includes Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Oracle Identity Management, and Okta Identity Management.

IdM security solutions go beyond software applications and encompass identity-based policies and technologies throughout an organization to prevent unauthorized access, block data removal, and send critical alerts when necessary. Windows security management often uses group policies, where access control depends on a user's role within an organization. Providers are working to establish standard SSO and Active Directory integrations for cross-platform use and help implement a Zero Trust security model.

Enforcing Mac operating system security is challenging because granular group policy and role-based access controls are needed. Many organizations still allow users to be local administrators on their Macs and use personal iCloud accounts to integrate with their other Apple devices, such as iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watches. However, this can be risky. MDM software for Macs can help manage these risks, but ideal access control would not require MDM moderation for changes made by a local administrator. Whitelisting and blacklisting the applications users can install is also beneficial to prevent new vulnerabilities from being introduced before mitigation and remediation strategies can be developed.

Virtual desktop infrastructure to rescue

In recent years, desktop virtualization has become more popular. As a result, there has been a trend in integrating identity management into the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to enhance security. This move towards cloud-based workforces means companies are not using local services to manage application and database access, such as SAML and SSO.

MacOS has had to overcome more obstacles than Linux and Windows operating systems, mainly because MacOS users have typically been local administrators on their Macs. However, desktop virtualization offers an opportunity to provide additional layers of security to lock down a device in a virtual environment, utilizing stricter controls for remote workers. VDI allows a company's security team better control over identity management by integrating SAML, SSO, multi-factor authentication, and cryptographic security at the level of the local connection broker and respective virtual machine.

With encrypted network traffic and a "gold" base image of the operating system and application environment, administrators may exercise unrestricted control over critical functions, the customer environment, and the virtual desktop. VDI desktops can be purpose-built to an individual use case with more stringent security controls, all without affecting the usability of a user's local device and their integrations with other devices.

Several platforms have enabled VDI and DaaS for Mac within the constraints of the Apple EULA and increased integration capabilities with other standard security tools.

What are the prevalent remote-work security threats?

Social engineering and phishing attacks are the most common types of security threats that organizations face. These fraudulent messages, which can come in emails, text messages, or voice calls, appear to be from a credible source and aim to convince individuals to share personal information. It is impossible to stop these attacks completely, so regular security-awareness training is essential to guard against them.

Endpoint security protection is a powerful tactic to use in distributed work environments. This solution can detect, quarantine, or eliminate potential threats in real time, especially when users fall victim to phishing attacks. Security solutions offer robust endpoint-security products across different platforms, such as Linux, Mac, and Windows.

With many different tools and solutions to address security risks, consolidating threat information into a single dashboard can help provide faster incident response times. Automating incident response workflows based on triggered alerts can be even more valuable. Security teams can use customized dashboards to analyze all authentications, log activity, and vulnerability insights in real-time across different environments, such as distributed desktops, VDIs, and hybrid and multi-cloud systems. With the help of AI and API system integrations, many manual incident response activities that relied on human intervention can now be eliminated.

For companies with limited security resources and expertise, partnering with network security vendors who offer managed solutions with proactive security responses can be beneficial. These managed security service providers (MSSPs) can provide 24/7 protection, proactive threat detection and response, and automated patching and upgrades, which can help augment the organization's security team.

The importance of visibility and transparency

Organizations must prioritize visibility into their technologies and resources to create a strong security plan. This can be achieved by conducting a business impact analysis to identify user groups and their app usage, as well as the types of data stored within those apps. This information is crucial in developing an effective security strategy that protects all platforms and minimizes risks.

By promoting transparency and visibility, organizations can establish best-in-class practices for security awareness training, asset and identity management, vulnerability management, threat management, backup and recovery planning, data protection, and compliance controls. This thorough preparation ensures that leaders across the organization can have confidence in the final implementation of the security strategy, which will ultimately lead to a rock-solid security plan.