How Remote Working Increases Cyber Security Risks

How remote working increases cyber security risks is best answered with one mechanism rather than a list.

Verification stopped being free. In an office, checking whether a request is genuine costs a few seconds and a glance across the room. Remotely it costs a phone call somebody has to decide to make, and under time pressure they often do not.

Attackers rely on exactly that. Business email compromise works by producing a plausible request from a senior person who is hard to reach, at a moment when asking feels awkward.

The fix is to remove the judgement. A mandatory check for payments and bank detail changes, using a number already on file, applied to everyone including the chief executive, so nobody has to decide whether this one is worth querying.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre publishes guidance on this. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

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