Is remote working a profound handicap for vulnerability assessment?

Change is the only constant. Adapting to it is a critical skill to stay ahead of the times. This holds relevancy in the digital world where everything is in a state of perpetual evolution. Life altering changes brought about by the pandemic has introduced a new set of challenges. As remote work takes precedence over conventional office culture, cybersecurity measures like vulnerability assessment require an overhaul to remain effective.

WebSecure, a vulnerability assessment company, is one of the first companies to address this challenge. According to its team of experts, proactive cybersecurity has always been an instrumental component of any organization’s security systems. A changing landscape where remote work is taking precedence jeopardizes this setup.

Two sides of a coin

The advent of remote working introduced a new dimension to work culture. Employees could now work from the relative safety and comfort of their homes resulting in more productivity. However, not all changes were positive in nature. Remote working presented unscrupulous players an opportunity to access sensitive data that would otherwise be out of reach.

An apparent liability

Professionals at WebSecure attribute this to the very nature of home-based networks. An overwhelming majority of, if not all, home networks lack the proper security features to detect and thwart any unwanted intrusions. Even if the user has installed vulnerability assessment software, most home systems are not patched regularly and lack in areas like vulnerability mitigation.

Home networks also suffer from lackluster detection and remedial processes. Failure to address such issues allows unwanted actors unlimited access to private data and information. Such deficiencies make home networks a dicey undertaking. After all, an unprofessionally managed home-network environment is a low hanging fruit for unethical actors.

The remedy

Does this mean that remote working is unfeasible in today’s age and time? Industry experts think otherwise. In fact, remote working is expected to replace traditional office culture in the near future. Specialists working with WebSecure echo the same thoughts. Although remote working certainly has its own challenges, they are not irremediable.

First and foremost, organizations need to limit employee access to sensitive data and operate on a need-to-know basis. This will reduce the chances of information leakage. Secondly, businesses should familiarize their personnel with security protocols like vulnerability assessment scans. The workforce can be provided with secure systems as an additional measure to ensure airtight operations.

Also Read:- Actionable vulnerability assessment: The ins and outs