Here’s a breakdown of the most common vulnerabilities associated with remote access:
- Lack of established protocols Last year, most IT security teams were forced to rapidly implement ad hoc solutions for...
- Unsecured networks
Full Answer
What are the vulnerabilities of remote workforces?
Read on to learn about three of the most significant vulnerabilities for remote workforces. 1. Remote workforces are more susceptible to phishing scams. Without the proper protections on personal devices, remote workers can face greater threats from phishing attacks. Cyber criminals don’t care if personnel are working from home or in the office.
Why is remote workforce security so important?
With a remote workforce, this problem becomes exacerbated by employees using personal devices and networks with much lower standards of security than their corporate-controlled alternatives, making it easy for attackers to access company data.
What are the risks of a VPN attack?
1. Weak remote access policies Once attackers get access to a virtual private network (VPN), they can often penetrate the rest of the network like a hot knife through butter. Historically, many companies deployed VPNs primarily for technical people needing access to critical technology assets.
Why can’t security teams detect advanced threats from remote users?
However, many security teams lack visibility into remote user activity and into east-west traffic inside the network, so they can’t detect advanced threats from remote users or identify an attacker jumping from a compromised user’s machine to hosts inside the network.
What are the 4 main types of security vulnerability?
Security Vulnerability TypesNetwork Vulnerabilities. These are issues with a network's hardware or software that expose it to possible intrusion by an outside party. ... Operating System Vulnerabilities. ... Human Vulnerabilities. ... Process Vulnerabilities.
What are potential risks associated with remote access?
Five Remote Access Security Risks And How To Protect Against ThemWeak remote access policies. ... A deluge of new devices to protect. ... Lack of visibility into remote user activity. ... Users mixing home and business passwords. ... Opportunistic phishing attempts.
What is a remote vulnerability?
RCE vulnerabilities allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a remote device. An attacker can achieve RCE in a few different ways, including: Injection Attacks: Many different types of applications, such as SQL queries, use user-provided data as input to a command.
What types of attacks are remote access servers vulnerable to?
Other attacks which hackers can facilitate through remote access include email phishing, third-party vendor compromise, insider threats, social engineering, and the use of vulnerable applications to compromise systems. Hackers use Common remote access tools to penetrate third-party access to merchant information ...
What are the types of remote access?
The primary remote access protocols in use today are the Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP), Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Remote Access Services (RAS), and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
What are some security issues related to remote desktop?
These are the most important vulnerabilities in RDP:Weak user sign-in credentials. Most desktop computers are protected by a password, and users can typically make this password whatever they want. ... Unrestricted port access. RDP connections almost always take place at port 3389*.
What is the vulnerability called when you can include a remote file for malicious purposes?
Remote file inclusion (RFI)Remote file inclusion (RFI) is an attack targeting vulnerabilities in web applications that dynamically reference external scripts. The perpetrator's goal is to exploit the referencing function in an application to upload malware (e.g., backdoor shells) from a remote URL located within a different domain.
What is exploitation of remote work?
The exploitation of Remote Access Solutions: Employees working from home need access to the corporate network. As a result, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and the remote desktop protocol (RDP) has exploded during the pandemic.
What is remote exploitation?
What Is Remote Services Exploitation? Remote services exploitation is a technique that allows an adversary to gain unauthorized access into a network's internal systems by taking advantage of a vulnerability (such as a programming error) or a valid account.
What are remote access attacks?
A remote attack is a malicious action that targets one or a network of computers. The remote attack does not affect the computer the attacker is using. Instead, the attacker will find vulnerable points in a computer or network's security software to access the machine or system.
What are the security requirements for remote access?
7 Best Practices For Securing Remote Access for EmployeesDevelop a Cybersecurity Policy For Remote Workers. ... Choose a Remote Access Software. ... Use Encryption. ... Implement a Password Management Software. ... Apply Two-factor Authentication. ... Employ the Principle of Least Privilege. ... Create Employee Cybersecurity Training.
What are some of the security vulnerabilities with network sharing?
7 Most Common Network Vulnerabilities for BusinessesThere are several types of malware, including: ... Outdated or Unpatched Software Applications. ... Weak Passwords. ... Single Factor Authentication. ... Poor Firewall Configuration. ... Mobile Device Vulnerabilities. ... Lack of Data Backup. ... Unsecure Email.
What is the greatest risk that remote access poses to an organization?
The overriding risk of remote access services and software is a hacker gaining deeper access to your organization, exposing you to a host of IT security threats. Once they gain privileged access to your system, it will be difficult to prevent data loss, prevent phishing, protect against ransomware, etc.
Is there any potential downside to the use of remote control software?
While this system can certainly streamline working practices, there are some disadvantages including downtime. When the network is down the entire system is inaccessible so it's imperative that your system has a consistency of performance.
What happens if you give someone remote access to your computer?
This can be even worse than just conning you out of money, as undetected malware can allow hackers to steal your identity, including your passwords and financial information, over and over again, even if you get new passwords and account numbers.
What are the security requirements for remote access?
7 Best Practices For Securing Remote Access for EmployeesDevelop a Cybersecurity Policy For Remote Workers. ... Choose a Remote Access Software. ... Use Encryption. ... Implement a Password Management Software. ... Apply Two-factor Authentication. ... Employ the Principle of Least Privilege. ... Create Employee Cybersecurity Training.
Why are unprotected remote organizations more susceptible to email scams?
Unprotected remote organizations are more susceptible due to the increased complexity of the network environment because many organizations still don’t use multi-factor authentication. In total, Americans lose $3.1 billion to email scams each year.
What are flash vulnerabilities?
These vulnerabilities include personal mobile devices that are used for business communications. According to a Duo report, approximately 60 percent of enterprise devices were found to be running on older, vulnerable versions of flash. These exploits allow hackers to download software that assesses a device’s flash version and installs malware, should the right version (s) be identified. From there, attackers have full access to each infected machine.
How many employees did hackers give out login details?
In one notable attack, staff members accidentally gave out login details for five employees. The end result: the exposure of sensitive data for 80 million customers. Ironically, hackers used the media attention to send more rounds of phishing emails.
What are opportunistic hackers?
Opportunistic hackers typically aim for well-known vulnerabilities. They’re particularly interested in known exploits for older, out of-date-devices. An organization which allows remote workers to use outdated personal devices puts their critical business information at great risk to cyber criminals.
Is remote work the future?
Remote employment is clearly the future of work. It’s especially apparent now given the organizational challenges of working during COVID-19, but there’s no doubt that demand will only grow in the foreseeable future. All that’s needed to keep hackers at bay is a diligent focus on training, and device and network security.
Is working from home a security risk?
Working from home opens organizations up to increased security risk , however, through their workforce’s frequent use of unsecured WiFi, personal device usage and the ensuing growth of complexity in network environments.
Can hackers hack remote workers?
Without the proper protections on personal devices, remote workers can face greater threats from phishing attacks. Cyber criminals don’t care if personnel are working from home or in the office. Either way, they can trick workers into giving up login credentials—or completing a financial transaction—by posing as a message from a reputable company.
What should security teams do if on-premises network and email security mechanisms are no longer available?
Recommendation: If some on-premises network and email security mechanisms are no longer available, security teams should double down on educating users to identify phishing attempts and to choose strong, unique passwords, encouraging the use of a password manager. They should also implement client certificates and multi-factor authentication in order to prevent attackers from gaining access through unsecured devices.
What are the risks of using a VPN?
Here are five top security risks that teams must deal with, as well as technology and user education best practices to keep users and data safe: 1. Weak remote access policies. Once attackers get access to a virtual private network (VPN), they can often penetrate the rest of the network like a hot knife through butter.
What is Wildfire malware analysis?
Resources: Learn how the cloud-delivered WildFire® malware analysis service – which is built into Cortex XDR and many other Palo Alto Networks products – aggregates data and threat intelligence from the industry’s largest global community to automatically identify and stop threats. Additionally, URL Filtering blocks access to malicious sites to help prevent phishing attacks.
Why do companies use VPNs?
Historically, many companies deployed VPNs primarily for technical people needing access to critical technology assets. Not so much the case anymore – VPNs are often encouraged for all users as a more secure connection than home or public networks.
Why is it important to enforce access based on user identity?
Recommendation: It’s critical that companies enforce access based on user identity, allowing specific groups access to only what they need to get their jobs done, and expanding access from there on an as-needed basis.
What is XDR in security?
Recommendation: Rather than invest in point solutions, consider security platforms that maximize integration between systems, limiting the amount of switching between tools and providing visibility into all data – including remote user activity. Extended detection and response (XDR) not only protects endpoints, but also applies analytics across all your data to find threats like unusual access or lateral movement, and simplifies investigations by stitching together data and identifying the root cause.
Why is remote work so attractive?
The remote work environment is particularly appealing for attackers for several reasons. First, the home-network environment is not professionally managed. Most critically, this means that many more systems on home networks are not patched regularly, and a number of them are out of date with respect to vulnerability mitigation. Some may even be treated by their manufacturers as end-of-life (EOL) products, and will never receive mitigations even when serious vulnerabilities are found.
What is remote work?
Remote Work: Vulnerabilities and Threats to the Enterprise. For many organizations, COVID-19 dramatically changed the risk calculation for remote work. In January 2020, many enterprises viewed remote work with skepticism; by March, the choice for many was to become a remote-first enterprise or to shut down.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN establishes an encrypted tunnel between the system running the VPN client and a VPN server that then proxies traffic through the tunnel to the rest of the enterprise network. The system running the VPN client becomes, effectively, an extension of the enterprise network, existing inside that network's perimeter with access to resources generally equivalent to any other system on the enterprise network.
What is a VPN client?
The system running the VPN client becomes, effectively, an extension of the enterprise network, existing inside that network's perimeter with access to resources generally equivalent to any other system on the enterprise network. VPNs defend against attack via authenticated access control and isolation.
What is persistence on an enterprise network?
To persist on an enterprise network, an attacker who has exploited a system must avoid detection and resist remediation. Here too, the home network is friendlier to the attacker; threat detection is typically nearly absent, and remediation incidental, such as when a PC is reinstalled or retired because it is running slowly.
What is enterprise network?
Enterprise networks were traditionally accessed only on enterprise-provided equipment. This arrangement has permitted enterprises unrestricted access to monitor and configure the device precisely according to their risk profiles and mitigation strategies. It also has required the enterprise to purchase and maintain equipment. This has sometimes frustrated end users when the enterprise was unwilling to buy newer equipment, a problem that became particularly pronounced when smartphones and tablet devices entered the market.
What is zero trust architecture?
In fact, the foundation of zero-trust architecture, an emerging trend in enterprise and distributed networking, is the idea that one's network should be assumed hostile. The key to securing the remote work environment is to extend these zero-trust assumptions further. It isn't just the network that should be assumed hostile, but everything that is not under the enterprise's control. Interestingly, this may extend even to the endpoints that are used to access enterprise resources.
What information could be used by attackers to target other organizations and their industrial systems?
This information, which may include data regarding assets, processes, and other sensitive items, could be used by attackers to target other organizations and their industrial systems.
Can an attacker see sensitive information?
Researchers noted that by exploiting the B&R flaws, an attacker who has gained authorized access to the B&R solution (for example, by simply acquiring a legitimate general license, available to anyone) can view sensitive information about other users whose information resides on the same server.
What are user vulnerabilities?
User Vulnerabilities. Users sometimes write their login information on sticky notes and leave them places such as their monitors. Other users are sometimes too careless when they allow others to watch them log onto a system. Obviously their are other sorts of user vulnerabilities such as those gained through social engineering.
What are the most pervasive things that admins fail to do?
Administrator Vulnerabilities. One of the most pervasive things that admins fail to do is educate themselves about known vulnerabilities and fixes. They might also fail to keep up to date with patches.
What is the most common mode of attack?
One fairly typical mode of attack is for a hacker to sniff on a public network, such a the Internet. The hacker looks for packets that come from a source that is able to get through, is trusted by, a particular firewall. Once the hacker discovers such a transmission source they might be able to construct their own packets and send them through this same firewall.