With several Indian organisations implementing work from home for employees in the wake of growing COVID-19 threat, hackers have turned their eyes on breaking into companies’ networks and systems in absence of robust, multi-layered firewall and security solutions within the boundaries of workers’ homes.
Over 20 lakh employees are likely to work from home — mainly in the Indian IT sector — but how many of them have installed best security practices at home to ensure the security of confidential organisational data is the biggest worry, say leading industry experts.
“Threat actors are looking into this phenomenon as an opportunity. Multiple instances of malicious, automated emails have been reported in several continents, including India, that are getting spooled with ‘Coronavirus’ as a theme,” Sanjay Katkar, Joint Managing Director and CTO, Quick Heal Technologies, said.
The work-from-home chants could lead to corporate data getting exposed to cybercriminals with many employees using unsecured networks and BYOD (bring your own device) to access enterprise networks. “Businesses who have not prepared for the work from home scenario are likely to have employees using their personal devices like smartphones which may not have the same level of security as a corporate-owned device,” Katkar added.
The Silicon Valley in India is virtually under a lock-down for some days owing to the new coronavirus pandemic. Most of the top tech firms, including global tech companies with facilities in India, have asked their staff to work from home. In such a scenario, it is important for businesses and employees to ensure safety and security of their data to avoid any disruptions.
According to an Avast survey, 39.32 per cent people globally said that they don’t receive the technological support or expertise from their employer, when they are working from home or in a public place, which makes security a concerning issue. “Nearly 28 per cent of Indians are not aware of their router’s web administrative interface,” said the survey.
