[BreachExchange] 5 Steps To Secure Remote Access

[Destry Winant]

https://www.techshout.com/security/2019/21/5-steps-to-secure-remote-access/

Millions of workers access their work remotely, away from the secure
workplace. When accessing data and work systems, or any system,
remotely, it’s vital to follow a good protocol on remote access. By
making sure that remote access is secure, you give your business the
opportunity to have people work hard even away from the office, all
while doing it without risking a data breach or other unsavory
activity by hackers. Here’s how to secure your remote access.

1. Assume the worst

Don’t deny that a remote attack is never going to arrive and that
you’ll be one of the lucky businesses that never suffers an attack on
your systems and data. Your attitude from the beginning should be that
there will eventually, or even almost immediately, be an attack on
your system remotely. Your business system uses many third-party
connections in order to transfer the information it needs to transfer.
Those systems aren’t always secure, so you have to make sure that
yours is. Mobile devices are often more vulnerable to attacks, also,
and most modern workers are going to be using smartphones to handle
some everyday business activities. Get it in your head that you must
have secure remote control over your business.

2. Define your policies

Telework policies – those policies that govern what devices are
allowed on your network and how employees should use them – is a vital
step to securing your remote access. Make sure that you’re clear about
everything, and consult experts as needed. Lawyers, IT personnel, and
security experts should all collaborate to ensure that your policy has
rules that will make your network more secure from attacks. If workers
are going to be accessing your network away from the office, it’s
vital that they read these rules and follow them from beginning to
finish. There is no room for error here.

3. Configuring Your Networks

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends
that your remote access servers be placed in one location within the
network’s parameter and that is it regulated completely before anyone
is even allowed to access. The rules should be set clearly and never
be allowed to be broken or breached. And while this is always easier
said than done, having the remote access servers in one location makes
it much easier to control the system and gives you a single point of
entry to guard.

4. Well-known Threats

Well-known, common threats are the easiest thing to guard against and
the most likely to give you problems. If your workers use any devices
for work, they must be secured before being able to use remote access.
Every single device that is going to use your network remotely will
need to be configured to fight against the most common threats your
network might face. Firewalls are one of the most common ways to guard
against threats, but sometimes they can cause problems with certain
rules that they set up. An IT and security expert can help you greatly
here in setting up your rules and making sure they’re enforced in all
environments and on all devices.

5. Encryption

This one is a no-brainer in today’s tech world. Even the most novice
of web user has probably heard of encrypting everything so that people
can’t easily steal your data. IT experts and security experts can help
you encrypt your communications and keep them safe. Also, workers who
will be logging onto your networks need to have two-factor
authentication so that there’s less chance of a security breach. The
sooner you set up these two things, the safer it will be for your
workers to access your network remotely. There are even fingerprint
technologies now that can let your workers use their fingerprints to
log onto networks so that no one can even steal their passwords
anymore. This might take more time and be more expensive, but the
added security measures are working to protect your business and its
customers from a security breach. It’s one of the most important
things you can do today is to set up good, solid authentication
systems to make sure that your workers are the only people logging
onto your network.

Customers expect perfect security these days. They simply won’t give
your business unless they know that your networks are safe from
attacks. Remote access is one of the primary ways that attackers can
get to your information, so it’s vital to set up a completely safe and
secure remote access system. There’s no excuse to neglect this part of
your business if you take consumer information through orders and
quotes and other communication. Remote access gives your workers a
more flexible way to accomplish their jobs, but it’s only safe if it’s
secure.