Remote work causes security nightmares because living rooms aren’t Fort Knox. That laptop on your kitchen table? Anyone can snatch it. Not to mention coffee shop warriors typing on public Wi-Fi networks. Perfect for hackers. Just perfect.
Remote work expanded the attack surface exponentially. Employees using personal devices for work—devices with no security updates since, what, 2019? The IT department has no clue what’s happening half the time. And let’s be honest, most people’s idea of “cybersecurity” is using their pet’s name followed by “123” as a password. Cyber insurance is often overlooked, despite covering crucial business interruption and data breach costs.
The digital Wild West of remote work makes your company’s data about as secure as a piggy bank in a sledgehammer factory.
Enter North Korean operatives. These aren’t your average hackers. They’re sophisticated state actors with fake identities, slipping into remote IT roles like ghosts. They’re targeting web development and software engineering positions—you know, the jobs with access to everything. And they’re good at it. Really good.
They’ve mastered the art of deception. Fake resumes, fake references, fake everything. They fulfill legitimate job duties while secretly pursuing state objectives. Your company might have hired one last month. Who knows?
The shadow IT problem makes it worse. Employees downloading whatever tools they want. Using random cloud services. Sharing company data on platforms IT has never even heard of. No oversight. No monitoring. No security.
And don’t get started on network security. Unencrypted connections. No VPNs. Man-in-the-middle attacks just waiting to happen. Corporate data flowing through networks about as secure as a screen door on a submarine. With a massive 92% of workers using personal devices for work tasks, the security vulnerabilities multiply exponentially.
Even collaboration tools are vulnerable. Zoom meetings without passwords. Sensitive files shared on unsecured platforms. Outdated software with more holes than Swiss cheese. Phishing attacks have become the most common cyber threat for remote employees, with nearly 80% of security breaches in 2023 originating from this vector.
Detection requires specialized monitoring and geolocation tracking. But most companies aren’t there yet. They’re still figuring out how to make sure employees wear pants during video calls.
Meanwhile, North Korean operatives are breaking through security barriers, one remote job at a time.
