Quarantine was introduced in Lithuania and many business and organisations are organising remote work, therefore the National Cyber Security Centre under the Ministry of National Defence offers basic recommendations for strengthening cybersecurity for executives, IT administrators and employees of businesses that switch to remote work.
One of the key principles in remote work organisation is ensuring confidentiality of data. It is crucial that devices of an organisation would be linked to information resources through a secure connection, i.e., only identified devices and with cryptographic tools. It would be best for an organisation to be ready in advance and configure employee devices.
Encryption of information is also vital. The information kept on devices has to be encrypted on the hard disc (e.g., with Microsoft Bitlocker). Restricting external connectivity to information systems of the organisation is also recommended, as well as authentication of several steps.
It is also advised to disable file sharing when on remote work, to use only safe software, legal operating systems and antivirus software, to make sure unsafe devices are not connected to the Wi-Fi connection, such as Internet of Things devices – IP cameras, TVs, etc.
Cybersecurity experts encourage to check is the device used for remote work has not been identified as used for malicious activities, e.g., using a service offered on the National Cyber Security Centre website.
“It is crucial not to visit websites not related to your work, to scrutinise links in your e-mail letters, and to always check the safety of information sent to you,” experts say.
The National Cyber Security Centre staff also underscore that the same security requirements apply to remote work as to the usual work. The key difference that the responsibility for information security falls on the working employee in case of remote work.
