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Cisco says extortion and device theft are on the rise, and senior executives are the primary targets. Sebastian Gollnow – Photo Alliance – Getty Images
Workations are increasing. Proponents believe that combining work and travel experiences is a great way to increase motivation, productivity, and creativity.recently YouGov poll53% of Americans who can work remotely say they’re interested in taking part in a workday in the next 12 months, and their companies can help make that happen.
New ways of working are also spreading to business leaders. Currently, about 80% of executive jobs can be done remotely, compared to 25% before the pandemic, according to the executive search firm. cowen partners. However, senior executives need to be most careful while having the opportunity to reflect, recharge, and reset. There are even more risks for your business when upper management chooses to work remotely from home or the office.
According to this year’s information, Investigation into cybersecurity breaches According to a study by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 32% of businesses recall a breach or attack in the past 12 months. The report further revealed that only 18% of companies provide cybersecurity training to their employees. Addressing the cyber skills gap must be addressed at all levels, including the C-suite, especially as cyber threats are one of the fastest growing.
Our Talos Global Threat Intelligence team identified a 25% increase in data theft extortion incidents in the latest quarter, overtaking ransomware as the most commonly observed threat. Data theft extortion is a cybersecurity incident where personal or confidential data is stolen. Once access is gained and the data is analyzed, the attacker threatens to release sensitive information unless the victim pays as requested. This typically involves the transfer of cryptocurrencies. By choosing victims at the top of the tree, the value of the data is undoubtedly perceived to be higher, and hackers see the potential for payouts running into the millions of dollars.
For business leaders, access to reliable Wi-Fi isn’t the only priority while traveling internationally. The importance of maintaining strong cyber hygiene becomes even more important when connecting to a corporate network from a location other than your home. Because unlike them, cybercriminals don’t take vacations. Fortunately, security measures to protect senior managers, and ultimately their business, are not that difficult.
password
It may be hard to believe, but Most common passwords in 2022 It still contained things like “123456”, “QWERTY”, and “password”. Most cyberattacks and data breaches are still caused by weak passwords. Ensuring that executives’ identities are theirs requires a more complex approach to passwords that are longer, stronger, and harder for others to guess. Unique passwords for each account should use a variety of capital letters and symbols and be changed annually.
Protecting your device abroad
International business leaders should be especially wary of equipment theft, as one of the leading causes of data theft is lost devices. It is also important to make life more difficult for those who try to snatch devices, especially mobile phones. Once a cybercriminal has your online password, they can sign into your account from anywhere, and if they get your PIN, they can also access your device.as the study As shown in , your choice of PIN or password determines how vulnerable your device is in the event of a successful hack or attack. Obvious identifiers such as birthday or her credit card PIN should be avoided. Apps should only be installed from trusted sources and software should be kept up to date.
Authenticate at home or on the go
Two-factor authentication (or 2FA) adds an extra layer of security that can be easily used by remote bosses and makes it much harder for people who shouldn’t have access to your data to do so. 2FA technology gives executives the opportunity to spot malicious misuse of credentials and allows administrators to capture metadata from user authorizations, allowing them to see the time and location of anomalous access.
Endpoint protection everywhere
Using a virtual private network (VPN) is another important security solution for business leaders. An encrypted connection from your device to your network over the Internet ensures that sensitive data is transmitted securely and prevents unauthorized parties from eavesdropping on your data traffic. This allows users to use virtual networks to access corporate networks without risk.
As business leaders may extend their vacations to make the most of their time away from their office desks, it is even more important to follow good cybersecurity practices to prevent the risk of serious attacks.
The freedom and power of hybrid working also comes with the responsibility of senior managers to work from anywhere in a cyber-secure manner. A more relaxed environment shouldn’t mean a more relaxed approach to security, especially when it comes at the expense of your business.
Chintan Patel is Chief Technology Officer at Cisco UK & Ireland.
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