UK is third worst nation for increased cyberattacks since remote working

 

It surveyed 3,542 technology leaders and information security officers to find out if working from home resulted in an increase in cyberattacks.

 

Respondents were from various industries across 14 different countries and the survey was published in June 2021.

 

The report found that unpatched personal devices, erratic employee behavior, and inadequately protected home networks created many loopholes for threat actors to exploit.

 

 

Below is the list in order of the countries worst affected by cyberattacks due to remote working, as suggested by the percentage of enterprises that reported the attacks.

Almost 80% of the respondents noticed that attacks had become more sophisticated, and those companies that reported having a cyberattack also said they were having an average of 2.35 breaches per year.

 

These were not minor leaks either. In 80% of the breaches, the incident was material, which means that it was significant and was reported to regulators or the incident response (IR) team.

 

 

Atlas VPN is a global online encryption services provider. Below is its team's tips on how to continue protecting yourself online when working remotely. 

Don’t delay software updates

If you receive a notification that a software update is available for any of your devices, make sure to install it as soon as possible. Software updates correct security holes and help protect your data.

Always use a VPN

If you are using a VPN (as you should), don't turn it off even when you stop working if you are using the same device for work and personal purposes. Otherwise, you'll lose a tool that could stop someone from stealing your confidential information.

Also, strictly avoid using public Wi-Fi networks when accessing work-related accounts.

Watch out for phishing scams

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the surge in remote work to fill inboxes with bogus emails.

Be particularly cautious when you receive emails tied to the pandemic. These emails are intended to capitalize on people's natural curiosity and desire to learn more about pandemic-related issues.

Fraudsters send phishing emails that look to be from a trustworthy entity, such as an employer or a financial institution.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication secures an online account (such as your bank account), an electronic device, or a computer network.

Before someone may log in to an account, connect to a device, or log in to a network, multi-factor authentication requires at least two methods of proving their identity. Passwords, security tokens, and biometric identification are examples of these methods.