Secure Remote Working - Overview

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What is Teleworking?

Teleworking by definition is an arrangement between an employee and the employer in which the employee does not commute to their physical work space, but can use the internet and other digital mediums to complete work.

Methods of teleworking include:

Tunneling - using a secure communications tunnel between a device and a remote access server, usually through a VPN.

Portals - a server that offers access to one or more application via a single interface.

Direct Application Access - directly connecting and accessing an application without the use of any remote access software.

Remote Desktop (RDP or VNC) - remotely control a particular host machine through the internet.

Threats and Challenges posed by Teleworking

By connecting via the internet to potentially classified or sensitive applications or data, there are threats to the safety and security of that information.

Secure Issues Include:

Lack of physical security - devices can be stolen, drives can be copied, or shoulder surfing.
Unsecured Networks - connecting on networks that are unsecured such as cafe and hotel wifi networks and other open public networks are easy targets for exploitation.
Providing Internal Access Externally - servers will be facing the internet therefore increasing the potential risk and vulnerability of being compromised.

Mitigation and Prevention Measures

It is important to realize that because Teleworking uses the internet for connectivity, it may be a target for compromise. That being said, there are a number of measures to help prevent security breaches when teleworking through all mediums.

Mandate the use of multi-factor authentication. Some of these techniques include using an authenticator app, phone verification, etc...
Develop and deploy a tiered access control system that ensures permissions are segregated.
Ensure remote servers, user endpoints such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops are regularly patched.
Secure all remote devices by using anti-malware software and implementing strong firewall rules.
Use validated encryption to protect data.
Encrypt device storage such as hard drives, SD Cards, USB Keys, etc...
Devise policies that detail how a teleworker will access applications remotely as well as what applications and parts of the network they have access to.
Disable or limit the ability to install applications on devices such as laptops and smartphones.

Privacy

Employee's are encouraged to use approved software such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Slack to collaborate and communicate unclassified information. However there are some privacy issues that need to be recognized before using these applications. It is important to remember that these applications are not to be used for any classified work.

Some general things to consider for increasing privacy on these applications include:

Enabling two-factor authentication.
Post/Send things that you do not mind sharing with the employer and employee's.

Slack

When using a paid license of the application, a feature is unlocked that allows HR and management personnel to export ALL chats. Not only can group chats be exported but also chats that are between you and a colleague that is sent in a private chat. This feature cannot be enabled in the free license. It is important to note that Slack does store data regardless of the license, including after 10,000 messages in the free version.

Slack also retains data such as links, passwords, usernames and chats, however does have options to customize policies on data retention.

Zoom

Zoom has a feature that tracks attention to the webcam in order to see who is actively in the video chat. If a presenter is sharing their screen and a user minimizes the window or leaves their device, a notification will be sent to the meeting hosts. It should be noted that Zoom does not record activity on the device nor does it capture video with this setting.

Unless a meeting host is using Zoom's encrypted video chat option, the company could have access to the conference.

Google Hangouts

While there are no glaring privacy concerns with Google Hangouts, it does require a Google account. It is best to use a work account if possible, to avoid details being linked together exposing private interests, and personal activity online when using that Google account. Details such as names, phone numbers, usernames and other information can be pieced together which can be exposed as a single entity.