Hackers Love Remote Businesses – Don’t Be Their Target

There are a lot of things that you have to think about when you are trying to run an online business. You have to develop a marketing strategy, find a good accountant and manage remote employees. One of the things that you probably haven’t thought much about is the risk of hackers.

Unfortunately, hackers are among the biggest threats facing any business. An estimated 60% of businesses have to shut down within six months after a data breach. The risk is likely even higher for online businesses.

It’s now well known that remote work boosts productivity and morale by eliminating commutes and enabling work from anywhere. However, this increased freedom brings new security challenges as remote workers access company files and systems outside the protective security bubble of organizations. In fact, remote workers often use public networks or overlook essential security measures for their devices. And this is what makes them attractive targets for hackers seeking to exploit weak organization links.

We have some great cybersecurity tips for e-commerce and other online businesses. But first you should be aware of the risks. Read on to discover more about digital dangers that you, as a remote worker, might not be aware of and ways you can tackle them.

Advanced Threats to Consider

You likely already know about the most widespread cybersecurity threats, like phishing attacks and ransomware. However, there are even more sophisticated attacks you can fall victim to if you don’t stay vigilant. Here are a few of them.

Session hijacking

When you log into a website, your browser receives a unique identifier called a session token. It confirms your identity without requiring repeated logins. Attackers can steal this token in multiple ways—through insecure website cookies, malware on your device, or website vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting. Once they have the token, they can impersonate you and access your account without needing your password.

If websites keep you logged in for a long time, attackers who steal your session token have more chances to get into your account, take or change your information, or cause even more damage over time.

Man-in-the-middle attacks (MITM)

MITM attacks manipulate communications, steal sensitive information, or hijack user sessions without directly breaching accounts. Unlike session hijacking, MITM attacks are all about intercepting and modifying network traffic in real time. This can be done by exploiting weak encryption, unsecured connections, or compromised networks.

The way MITM works is that an attacker places themselves between you and the website or person you’re connecting with. And while you think you’re talking directly to them, the attacker is actually in the middle—capturing, monitoring, and even changing the data being shared.

These attacks commonly occur on public Wi-Fi networks in places like coffee shops and airports, where security is typically minimal. Attackers can also create fake Wi-Fi networks that mimic legitimate ones, tricking people into connecting to their malicious networks instead of the real ones.

Vishing scams

AI has greatly increased how often social engineering attacks happen and how convincing they are. Vishing, also known as voice phishing, uses AI-generated voices to make phone calls and trick people into revealing their credit card numbers and account information or transferring money to other accounts.

The disturbing use of AI to imitate others’ voices has significantly increased the tactic’s success rate. Remote workers are particularly vulnerable to this scam. This is because they have less face-to-face contact with higher-ups and may lack the familiarity needed to spot a fraudulent call.

Which Cybersecurity Tools & Best Practices Offer Effective Protection?

Making some changes to the way you approach cybersecurity and adopting a few tools can highly increase your resilience to the above-mentioned attacks. Here’s what should be at the core of your remote work cybersecurity strategy.

Strong passwords & MFA

You can’t prevent data breaches, but you can ensure a single compromised account doesn’t endanger others because they share the same password. Use a password manager app to create strong, unique login credentials for all your accounts and secure them further with multi-factor authentication.

Actions like purchases or money transfers trigger MFA requests. That limits the damage attackers can do through session hijacking since they don’t have access to the necessary MFA verification codes.

eSIMs & a business VPN

Whether you’re a digital nomad or do business from your favorite coffee shop, you should avoid public Wi-Fi altogether. Use a combination of eSIM services and a reputable VPN instead.

The eSIM chip in your phone can connect to any local cellular network, letting you enjoy increased connection security while paying the lowest rates on data plans. You can easily turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot and connect a laptop and other devices through it.

The VPN adds extra security through encryption, preventing MITM attacks and ensuring no one can track your internet activity. Local carriers sometimes throttle certain sites, and your company may mandate the use of VPNs when accessing sensitive company resources. Using a VPN takes care of both.

Data removal services

Vishing scams and other social engineering attacks base their success on the amount of information they have on victims and their contacts. The less publicly available information about you there is online, the harder you are to impersonate.

This is why you should reduce your digital footprint by making social media private and deleting unused accounts. However, you may need professionals to get data brokers to remove existing data on you and stop accumulating it, so try using the best data removal services for that.

Conclusion

Working remotely gives you more freedom, but maintaining professional standards remains just as important as before. So, handle company and client data responsibly, protect your accounts, and stay alert to new security threats. Following these security practices will help protect your professional reputation.