Article 1 (Aug 2020): Security issues explode with work-at-home computing

The sudden flood of remote workers post-Covid has slammed IT workers with security issues.
              
Perhaps not surprisingly, nearly 57 percent of remote workers are using their private devices, such as laptops, computers, or phones, for work.  The number of potentially insecure devices has hit IT hard, while giving cybercriminals fresh targets.  Information breaches cost an average of $9 million and criminals are out to get their share.
              
Business phones and laptops are secured and monitored by the Information Technology departments.  They have firewalls, network analysis, spam filters, and monitoring to help prevent information breaches.  But after Covid, most workers are using their own devices and security is unknown.
              
Cyber attacks have increased exponentially with the number of devices being used by remote workers. Quoted in Computer World, Andrew Homer, Morphisec's vice president of security strategy and business development, said: "We've seen anywhere between a doubling or tripling of the number of attacks that we blocked since COVID.  When I say about a tripling, that's over 170,000 attacks a week across the five million endpoints."
              
At least a fourth of workers don't know what security is in place on their devices or home networks.
              
About 26 percent of work-at-home employees experience spotty Wi-Fi connections.  This leaves them exposed to stolen credentials, malware, and compromised information, according to Morphisec.
              
Collaboration apps and platforms, even when they do not have known vulnerabilities, are open to phishing attacks and malware through messaging.
              
Productivity suites, business chat tools, and video processing tools are among the most frequently used applications for remote workers.   The majority told Morphisec that they are cautious in opening and sharing "due to perceived cybersecurity risks."