• Trend Micro
  • About TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog
Search:
  • Home
  • Categories
    • Ransomware
    • Vulnerabilities
    • Exploits
    • Targeted Attacks
    • Deep Web
    • Mobile
    • Internet of Things
    • Malware
    • Bad Sites
    • Spam
    • Botnets
    • Social
    • Open source
Home   »   Mobile   »   Remote Working During the Olympics: Any New Security Risks?

Remote Working During the Olympics: Any New Security Risks?

  • Posted on:August 10, 2012 at 4:59 pm
  • Posted in:Mobile
  • Author:
    Cesare Garlati (Consumerization Evangelist)
0

What enterprises need to consider as large numbers of staff prepare to work away from the office.

A large proportion of staff are set to work remotely this summer as the Olympic Games disrupt the UK’s transport networks. In a recent video interview, Stuart Sumner of Computing asked me whether remote working during the Olympics will create any new security risk for UK firms. My answer is I don’t think so. Remote access and remote working have been present in many companies for a long time now. IT security is certainly a big concern for many firms. However, let’s not forget other critical factors, such as remote access software licensing and scalability.

During the Olympics it is reasonable to expect the whole employee base to access corporate applications and data from home – likely from employee-owned devices. Let’s not forget that most of the software eventually used in this way may not be licensed for this specific use case – i.e. Microsoft Windows or Office home editions used for work.

The scalability of the system also needs to be taken into consideration. Typically, remote work is supported from a network perspective through VPN. Well, the VPN architecture usually requires a concentrator or some sort of backend component. This backend component needs to be scalable enough to support not just travelers or a few occasional remote users, but the whole population of the company. The same consideration applies to Remote Desktop and Virtual Desktop infrastructure.

There has been a precedent we can look at. We had a similar situation in Japan in 2011, when Japan was struck by the triple tragedy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. What happened ‑ based on my conversations with many customers ‑ is that most of corporate Japan IT infrastructure collapsed. Firms kept operations going by relying on highly scalable consumer technology such as Yahoo mail, Google apps, Dropbox, Skype and millions and millions of personal mobile devices – such as smartphones and tablets.

In conclusion: with larger numbers of staff requiring remote access than usual this summer, VPN scalability and software licensing deals – to ensure that the terms are not being infringed by remote workers – are two critical aspects your firm should consider.


Coming Soon: The TrendLabs Security Intelligence Blog will be the new Malware Blog

Learn how to protect Enterprises, Small Businesses, and Home Users from ransomware:
ENTERPRISE »
SMALL BUSINESS»
HOME»

Featured Stories

  • systemd Vulnerability Leads to Denial of Service on Linux
  • qkG Filecoder: Self-Replicating, Document-Encrypting Ransomware
  • Mitigating CVE-2017-5689, an Intel Management Engine Vulnerability
  • A Closer Look at North Korea’s Internet
  • From Cybercrime to Cyberpropaganda

Security Predictions for 2019

  • Our security predictions for 2019 are based on our experts’ analysis of the progress of current and emerging technologies, user behavior, and market trends, and their impact on the threat landscape. We have categorized them according to the main areas that are likely to be affected, given the sprawling nature of the technological and sociopolitical changes under consideration.
    Read our security predictions for 2019.

Business Process Compromise

  • Attackers are starting to invest in long-term operations that target specific processes enterprises rely on. They scout for vulnerable practices, susceptible systems and operational loopholes that they can leverage or abuse. To learn more, read our Security 101: Business Process Compromise.

Recent Posts

  • Waterbear is Back, Uses API Hooking to Evade Security Product Detection
  • December Patch Tuesday: Vulnerabilities in Windows components, RDP, and PowerPoint Get Fixes
  • Obfuscation Tools Found in the Capesand Exploit Kit Possibly Used in “KurdishCoder” Campaign
  • Mobile Cyberespionage Campaign Distributed Through CallerSpy Mounts Initial Phase of a Targeted Attack
  • Operation ENDTRADE: Finding Multi-Stage Backdoors that TICK

Popular Posts

  • Mac Backdoor Linked to Lazarus Targets Korean Users
  • Microsoft November 2019 Patch Tuesday Reveals 74 Patches Before Major Windows Update
  • New Magecart Attack Delivered Through Compromised Advertising Supply Chain
  • September Patch Tuesday Bears More Remote Desktop Vulnerability Fixes and Two Zero-Days
  • 49 Disguised Adware Apps With Optimized Evasion Features Found on Google Play

Stay Updated

  • Home and Home Office
  • |
  • For Business
  • |
  • Security Intelligence
  • |
  • About Trend Micro
  • Asia Pacific Region (APAC): Australia / New Zealand, 中国, 日本, 대한민국, 台灣
  • Latin America Region (LAR): Brasil, México
  • North America Region (NABU): United States, Canada
  • Europe, Middle East, & Africa Region (EMEA): France, Deutschland / Österreich / Schweiz, Italia, Россия, España, United Kingdom / Ireland
  • Privacy Statement
  • Legal Policies
  • Copyright © Trend Micro Incorporated. All rights reserved.