{"id":14113,"date":"2022-12-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-28T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/blog\/en-blog-mistakes-in-securing-remote-work\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T09:34:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T16:34:35","slug":"mistakes-in-securing-remote-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syteca.com\/en\/blog\/mistakes-in-securing-remote-work","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Mistakes of Security Officers in Protecting Remote Workplaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organizations to temporarily transition to remote work environments. Two years have passed, but the remote work trend is still with us, with over 75% of people worldwide working remotely at least once a week<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As telecommuting concerns more cybersecurity experts around the world, some security officers still make drastic mistakes in configuring and managing remote environments. Read our blog post to learn the top ten security mistakes organizations make with regards to remote work. Discover what you can do to avoid these mistakes and enhance your cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is telecommuting a point of cybersecurity focus?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How can remote employees endanger your organization?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an article on seven top trends in cybersecurity for 2022<\/a>, experts from Gartner express their concern about the expansion of the attack surface<\/strong> that came with remote work and the increasing use of public clouds<\/a>, supply chains<\/a>, and cyber-physical systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Quote.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Gartner, \u201cSeven top trends in cybersecurity for 2022,\u201d <\/em>
Susan Moore, 13 April 2022 (subscription required)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote work raises cybersecurity risks, as it not only expands the potential attack surface but also moves it outside conventional perimeter defenses such as firewalls. Environments and devices that telecommuters work from are frequently unprotected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even today, when many employees combine working from the office with telecommuting, the situation is not improving. Hybrid work environments lead to cybersecurity mistakes among your remote workforce and, eventually, to cybersecurity breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employees\u2019 remote work mistakes that put organizations at risk include installing insecure and outdated software, mismanaging sensitive data, and relying on weak passwords. Telecommuters are more susceptible to social engineering<\/a> attacks or may act as malicious insiders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of the above opens up your organization to an abundance of cybersecurity threats, especially if you work in one of the most attacked industries<\/a>. Phishing and brute-force attacks, malicious software installations, data theft, and even sabotage are on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effective Ways to Detect and Prevent Brute Force Attacks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is the proof?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gartner has recently reported<\/a> that 60% of knowledge workers are remote and at least 18% won\u2019t return to the office<\/em>. Working from home has increased the frequency of cyberattacks by 238% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic according to a 2022 Study by Alliance Virtual Offices<\/a>, while the FBI has claimed<\/a> a 300% increase in reported cybercrime since the pandemic began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Statistics.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s at stake?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations may experience the following risks as a result of poorly secured remote work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"5<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Read on to find out what your organization should and shouldn\u2019t do to reduce cybersecurity risks related to remote work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote Employees: How to Manage Insider Risks<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 common mistakes in securing remote work and how to avoid them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have compiled a list of the ten most common mistakes your security officers might make in regard to your organization\u2019s remote work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"10<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Lack of visibility over remote activity with corporate resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Insufficient visibility into what remote employees do in your organization\u2019s IT environment undermines your ability to detect and disrupt security incidents.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While working in a less secure setting, telecommuters have the same level of access to sensitive information as their office-based colleagues. Given that about 43% of remote employees<\/a> make mistakes that have cybersecurity consequences, your organization must take steps to minimize these repercussions. Without proper oversight, the danger of privileged users\u2019 mistakes<\/a> becomes even more significant, as admins and remote workers with elevated permissions can unintentionally create security gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, if a remote worker becomes a malicious insider<\/a>, they\u2019ll find it easier to steal or corrupt sensitive data, perform industrial espionage<\/a>, or commit fraud without ever getting noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be able to detect and prevent such threats, security officers must be able to fully monitor remote desktop activity<\/a>. Consider deploying dedicated insider threat management software like Syteca<\/a> \u2014 a universal insider risk management platform that can help your security officers prevent malicious insider attacks and other cybersecurity threats caused by remote work activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How can Syteca help?<\/p>\n

Syteca\u2019s user activity monitoring<\/a> (UAM) capabilities allow you to:<\/p>\n