Security News > 2020 > March > Working from Home: COVID-19’s Constellation of Security Challenges
"Working from home or online education programs are not new. However, a large, immediate migration of people from enterprise and university networks that are closely monitored and secured, to largely unmonitored and often unsecure home Wi-Fi networks, creates a very large target of opportunity for cybercriminals," Chris Hazelton, director of security solutions at Lookout, told Threatpost.
This forgetfulness when it comes to security can be especially true for those who are not used to working or learning at home: "People working from home get easily distracted, especially if they are normally used to working in the office, and they will mix work with personal email and web browsing," Colin Bastable, CEO of security awareness training company Lucy Security, said in an email interview.
"Many companies and organizations in these industries are working on legacy systems and are using software that is not patched. Not only does this mean remote work is a security concern, but it makes working a negative, unproductive experience for the employee."
The challenges are particularly notable for those working in regulated industries, he added, and those that use proprietary or specific software - such as stock traders or airline reservationists.
Companies and schools can plan for distance learning and working in order to meet some of these challenges.