Remote Work Paves for More Mobile Threats and RDP Attacks

Credit: FotoArt-Treu

Remote work has led to flexible schedules and better cost savings, but possibly at the cost of network security. Recent findings from Verizon’s 2022 Mobile Security Index show that 79% of organizations believe that remote work increased their vulnerability to online threats and added more pressure on security teams. How vulnerable? The figures reveal that 45% of companies experienced a compromise in mobile security in the last 12 months, representing an increase of 22%, year-over-year.

After all, logging into the network with a compromised device, whether it’s a mobile phone, computer, or laptop, can potentially cause a data breach. And sometimes work requirements compel employees to forego security in favor of positive outcomes. In fact, 52% of organizations in Verizon’s report are guilty of this. As such, 73% of companies whose mobile security was compromised considered it a major problem since the cost of data breaches has been steadily increasing over the past few years.

Currently, the average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million, 2.6% higher than the amount in 2021 and 12.7% higher than that of 2020. Meanwhile, the leading causes of breaches are stolen credentials (19%), phishing (16%), and cloud misconfiguration (15%).

While mobile phones are typically harder to hack than desktops, they have become a primary target of cyber criminals since they are used more often for random online activities, especially with the presence of remote monitoring apps on desktops. However, decreasing the use of mobile devices may be counterproductive for some businesses. Seventy-percent of organizations admit that the increased use of mobile devices is essential for staying abreast with their market’s preferences.

Rise in RDP Attacks

Besides mobile devices, another point of attack for criminals is the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a platform that links office and remote computers together. And the numbers are just as alarming. The latest cybercrime statistics, coming from Kaspersky’s 2022 study, reveal that the cost of RDP attacks in the US grew from $47.5 million in the first four months of 2021 to $51 million in the same period of this year.

RDPs are typically attacked with ransomware since business networks carry a wealth of sensitive information. This exploited vulnerability has contributed to the number of ransomware attacks in the first quarter of this year, rising by 50%, year-over-year. In response, big tech enterprises like Microsoft and Kaspersky have beefed up security against RDP attacks to help protect firms with remote and hybrid working models.

Protection for Remote Workers

Although many enterprises extend security to their remote and hybrid workforce, it might not be enough to curb the array of cyberattacks regularly faced by individuals and organizations. Remote workers have to also play their part to prevent cyberattacks. Since phishing is the most common type of cyberattack, it is advisable to use a browser and email an client that detect phishing campaigns, along with a security program that detects and quarantines or removes viruses and other malware. Remote workers can also use VPNs for their browsing and keep their work-related mobile devices away from friends and family.

For the part of organizations, they can implement policies against the use of public WIFI networks or any unrestricted network for that matter. Firms can also allocate budgets to mobile security to mitigate mobile and RDP threats. Furthermore, IoTs should be covered in security policies since the attacks carried out on these devices increased by 22% in 2022.