CTRL Group understand that your business will have to consider the impacts of the spread of COVID-19 by adapting to new working arrangements. This measure is taken to ensure your business continues to perform and has a fighting chance of survival in the coming years. Yet, it is important not to leave cybersecurity providers behind. As there are, without a doubt, serious cyber risks your organisation will have to consider right now.
“CTRL Group are great believers that being forward-thinking and open-minded to all possibilities is the best approach leadership can take to mitigate the risks posed.”
The COVID-19 virus is forcing organisations to enforce strict measures such as work from home arrangements. If you are well-prepared and have the capability to operate with your staff working remotely, then focus on continuous improvements to your security. Otherwise, if this is the first time your organisation has had to consider such an arrangement and you rely heavily on on-premise network security protocols then do not make hasty decisions during this transition. Properly assess and plan your organisation’s modified security architecture and overall security hygiene.
“In times like this, safeguarding your business information should be your top priority.”
Leaking or losing important and sensitive business information can seriously harm your business. Ensure a strong focus on maintaining your networks and monitoring all inbound and outbound activities to reduce the risk of breaches. Train your staff on password hygiene and utilising multi-factor authentication, as this is the easiest avenue for compromise by hackers. Having an emotionally overwhelmed workforce will also create many new points of vulnerability for malicious actors to exploit. So make sure to communicate your security concerns with staff and enforce safety-first policies for remotely connecting to your organisation’s network.
“Staff remotely connecting to cloud applications and networks are left exposed as they are not protected by all the security layers in their office buildings.”
We are in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 virus pandemic is also accompanied by the upcoming global economic downturn and the risk landscape has shifted dramatically. It is helpful to note that there are forces that benefit from times of hardship. Our experience tells us that the below 3 points are common for why the global cybersecurity threat landscape will continue to heighten:
- Economic pressure will increase the volume of cybercrime as a source of income for malicious actors and organised crime syndicates around the world.
- Malicious actors and organised criminals are emboldened as they are in a climate when resources and attention within law enforcement are diverted to handling a global crisis. This creates the perfect environment for them to increase their activities and expand the scope of operations.
- The same phishing and manipulative behavioural strategies are more effective as your workforce is dispersed and general awareness of security hygiene declines.
So how can CTRL Group help?
These are the reasons why CTRL Group are committed to supporting your business during this time of uncertainty. As a cybersecurity provider, the CTRL Team continue to deliver high-quality and reliable services for a competitive price. Our team of security experts understand that the economic repercussions of this will be felt far and wide. Beware of retracting your IT budgets and decreasing overall support capabilities, as each decision will greatly impact your cyber risk. If your budget becomes tight and priorities are reassessed, CTRL will ensure that you are able to access a flexible security plan.
“A major hit to your financial health is also anticipated and it is important to access high-quality cybersecurity services for your organisation.”
Our subscription-based model is flexible and enables you to utilise us as an extension of your team with efficiency. It is designed to offer you a selection of security services such as our industry-leading Security Operations Centre, Penetration Testing and Risk Assessments that you can combine in a holistic security plan. We also have great experience in conducting works remotely which gives you peace of mind during strict work from home arrangements.
So what should you do immediately?
- Get in touch with us or your cybersecurity provider to address the risks associated with your staff working remotely. Addressing issues such as endpoint security, secure and encrypted laptop usage, multi-factor authentication, accessing SaaS services, communications, and file-sharing protocols, to name a few, should be prioritised.
- Conduct an internal risk assessment to ensure your leadership understands your security exposures.
- Analyse your technology architecture and ensure that you have all the tools your business needs to operate securely without major barriers. Get a second opinion from a cybersecurity provider.
- If you have not already, implement a system to monitor your technology, staff and policies – both remote and in-house.
- Work with us or your cybersecurity provider to update your existing policies and processes to address your new working arrangement.
- Once you believe your cybersecurity measures are appropriate, test them and assess any possible vulnerabilities.
As committed cybersecurity providers, CTRL Group are here to support you with the latest information. Our client support teams are standing by to help you and your organsiation with any concerns. Reach out if you are in need of boosting your security posture.
