While the pandemic might seem like a remote bankruptcy to some today, its effect on career behavior is undeniable. Since then, remote running, a necessity during the Covid pandemic, has become a favorite option for many, and the flexibility of running from home continues to appeal to organizations and employees.
Global lockdowns have accelerated the adoption of remote operation technology, shaving by months what might have taken a decade to occur naturally. However, reviews still seem divided on the long-term advantages of remote operation. While organisations such as Amazon are demanding that their staff return to full-time work, the new Labour government’s upcoming labour rights bill upholds a predetermined right to run flexibly. This highlights the ongoing debate about the long-term nature of remote work.
The debate over remote paintings
One of the most demanding situations when fleeing from home is the threat of cybersecurity being neglected. Some organizations observed that painters returned home with learned bad behavior while working remotely, while others who continued to work from home would likely continue to approach them.
As with many aspects of cybersecurity, it’s okay to blame artists for poor cybersecurity, but that’s only fair if they’ve gotten the right and guidance. Allowing or requiring remote work is one thing, but ensuring staff have the resources and wisdom to do it safely are equally important.
Where cyber-security training is provided, it must be relevant and tailored to the specific working environment. Advice on locking unattended devices, following a clear desk policy and not sharing access all make sense in an office environment, but they’re just as crucial for remote workers – especially when family and friends are around. Whether staff training adequately conveys this context can vary, and many employees may naturally assume these practices only apply to the traditional office setting.
Cybersecurity Education
We want to focus more on what is than where it is. Take driving, a common activity that encompasses both private and professional life. Road safety regulations do not replace depending on the reason for driving. Managing the virtual Devices and knowledge will have to adhere to the same principles, regardless of their location.
Cyber literacy should not depend on whether you are at home or at work. Personal knowledge is no less delicate because it is available from home. Phishing attacks can happen anywhere, and some other people could be more vulnerable at home, where a calm, casual environment can lead to less vigilance. So what happens in practice and what else do you want to do?
Statistics
According to the latest Cybersecurity Breach Survey, 68% of companies have cybersecurity policies that cover remote or mobile operation, and 55% face the use of private devices for work purposes. However, only one-third of companies report having a virtual network of their own (VPN) for employees that runs remotely, suggesting a gap between having policies in place and implementing the technical controls needed to protect remote work.
Research from the University of Nottingham highlights a significant disconnect in the provision and belief of cybersecurity in other environments. The study examined the accumulated knowledge of employers and painters from a wide diversity of organizations that allow flexible painting. Classic painting environments, home use, and remote use in public spaces where neither party controls the IT infrastructure were analyzed. The effects revealed notable disparities between employers’ and painters’ perspectives on key cybersecurity practices, including:
Although some organizations appear to be addressing the issues, with aligned perspectives between employers and workers, there have been cases where perceptions diverge significantly: employers feel that some issues have been resolved while workers feel the opposite.
Conclusions
For organizations that need practical advice, the National Cyber Security Center offers valuable advice on working from home through its numerous online resources.
However, the key questions remain the same. If you are a worker working from home, are you doing so safely? If you’re not sure, the answer is probably no. As an employer, if your staff are working remotely, have you obtained the mandatory equipment and requirements to ensure cybersecurity? Are they following the most productive practices? If you don’t know the answers, there’s little chance they don’t know them either.
Steven Furnell, IEEE senior member and professor of cybersecurity at the University of Nottingham
Steven Furnell is a prominent cyber-security expert based in the UK. His research interests include security management and culture, and technologies for user authentication and intrusion detection. He has authored over 390 papers in international journals, including his own book, Cybercrime: Vandalising the Information Society. Steven is also the UK representative for security and privacy within the International Federation for Information Processing, and a board member of the Chartered Institute of Information Security. His research is often used to advise the UK government on its cyber-security policy.
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