“I think we’re most vulnerable to cyberattacks commercially. This challenge is going to significantly increase. It’s not going to go away. — Michael Mullen, retired United States Navy admiral, former Chairman of The Joint Chiefs.
These days, if you ask an IT manager about their top priorities, they’d probably say that cyber threats are at the top of the list. Because no company, no individual, and no organization is safe.
Indeed, protecting organizations is not a destination. It’s a long road which requires long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment.
Cyber Protection in a Hybrid and Remote World
Protecting a virtual organization takes creative thinking. “Think like a poacher to be a good gamekeeper,” said Gerard Adlum, Head of Content Strategy & External Comms at Thinscale.
“Cyberattacks are going to increase. A contact center security posture must be agile. It must evolve constantly, and it must involve partners in the security space,” he said.
Hybrid Work Means Extreme Threat Levels
On-site, hybrid, and remote work-from-home operations present a minefield of cybersecurity risks.
For example, employees use their own devices and corporate gadgets. Agents access a CRM system, Excel, or phones through the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Hackers never cease to test all these potential vulnerabilities.
Installing VPN and Anti-Virus Software Won’t Do the Job
Contact centers typically use a VPN to protect against malware on the network, while they use an antivirus solution to safeguard the device. That strategy isn’t good enough because the device isn’t on the network and remains vulnerable to key loggers and screen scrapers.
Moreover, studies have shown that 80 percent of companies that had a data breach or a failed audit could have prevented it by patching on time or doing configuration updates.
Such statistics underline just how crucial it is to run diagnostics while ensuring devices are up to date with the latest patches and updates.
Isolate With Application Execution Prevention (AEP)
ThinScale’s Device Analytics gives you visibility over which devices and apps aren’t up to date, combined with the AEP power to remotely push and enforce those updates.
“It’s proactive protection,” Adlum said. “It stops the device from getting infected by not allowing key loggers and screen scrapers to run.”
Humans Make Mistakes. Mitigate That Risk
No matter how often a company trains its employees on cyber threats, chances are that an employee will make a mistake.
Large corporations are especially vulnerable, with thousands of devices and users across a vast network. Unless there are systems to monitor its scale, all it takes is one employee to be susceptible.
Trust Nothing and Trust No One
Zero Trust is the buzzword. But the truth is that IT departments shouldn’t trust anything they do not know to be safe.
Protection Techniques 24/7 – Remotely
- Use tools that automatically push updates remotely.
- Use a platform that provides 360-degree visibility to ensure that every device is up-to-date. If not, deny the device access.
- Use tools to isolate a device immediately when an attack is detected.
- Constantly look for and reduce open ports – or any point of weakness.
Thinscale: The Bulwark Against Cyber Threats
The threat level is constant. No one is safe. Thinscale can be your partner in the long-term effort to protect your virtual organization.
Click here to learn more about increasing your cyber security with Thinscale.
