The newspapers might seemingly suggest that it’s only banks that are open to security attacks, but unfortunately this is a problem that can really open up close to home if you’re not careful.

Technology has progressed immensely over the last few decades, few would disagree with this. At the same time, this has opened up a wealth of opportunities for hackers and other scrupulous individuals, who are desperately trying to find ways to combat the smallest of breaches and capture data that can cost the typical person a fortune.

Something else that is on the rise is remote working. More companies than ever are cutting business costs by allowing their employees to work from home which also allows employees to create their own work-life balance. It can take some adjusting to the change with many companies getting the virtual facilitation training offered by VoltageControl.com to improve their online meetings and operations. But, it will benefit the company in the long run and the number of remote workers will continue to rise. This is the reason behind today’s article, and we will now combine the subjects and look at four ways in which remote workers are particularly at risk from security breaches.

Method #1 – Tampering with the device

This first method is the reason why antivirus and internet security software has become so advanced over the last few years. Unfortunately, hackers have more ability than ever before to tamper with your device. Sometimes it might be because of a vulnerability in your hardware which allows them to attack from outside, while on other occasions it might be due to your device being left unattended and someone manually installing a program on there.

Regardless, for remote workers who don’t have the benefits of corporate security, it’s a gaping security hole.

Method #2 – Simple overlooking

The first method was quite high-tech, but this next one is much more simple. In fact, anybody, regardless of their technical knowledge, could carry it out.

Remote workers have much more inventive office spaces. It might be the local cafe, a plane, a train, or anywhere else where a laptop can be based.

This opens up a lot of general risks. Someone can quite easily observe what you are doing, and note down any sensitive information if it appears on your screen.

Method #3 – The theft of the device itself

When your office is based in company buildings, it goes without saying that they have much tougher security. It might be a specialist security team guarding your building after hours, or even an access system which does not allow anyone from outside the organization to enter.

When it comes to remote workers, most of these precautions don’t exist. Again, you are much more susceptible to the theft of your device in public spaces, but it can also happen at home. If this does occur, it means that all of the data associated with the device is also stolen, and the consequences there are of course far and wide.

Method #4 – The theft of credentials

Following on from the previous point, this next one follows a similar principle. Some people might store their credentials in a notebook, or even a specific device. Regardless, when you are outside of company buildings, the risks increase and the chances of these being stolen also rises, putting data further at risk.