As organisations increasingly embrace remote work and cloud usage to streamline their operations in the new normal, they are likely to leave the door open for hackers to exploit.
According to cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks, between March 1 and June 27, 2022, Thailand registered 44,144 cases of cyber-attacks linked to remote work, causing damage worth 3 billion baht.
AVM Amorn Chomchoey, secretary-general of the National Cyber Security Agency, said businesses and organisations are facing cybersecurity threats, particularly ransomware targeting victims with sensitive data, demanding them to pay a ransom, or else have their important data erased or their systems disrupted.
Organisations leveraging cloud services may need to understand cloud security. Security loopholes or a lack of understanding could leave the door open for hackers, he noted.
Juan Huat Koo, director for cybersecurity in Asean at US tech giant Cisco Systems, said as hybrid work becomes the norm among companies that empower their employees to work from anywhere, this would pose new challenges, particularly on the cybersecurity front, as hackers can now target employees beyond corporate network perimeters.
A recent Cisco report shows 92% of respondents surveyed in Thailand say their employees are using unregistered devices to log into work platforms. The report surveyed 6,700 security professionals from 27 countries, including 150 people from Thailand.
Security leaders have been aware of the risks associated with such a practice with 94% of respondents in Thailand saying logging in remotely for hybrid work has increased the likelihood of occurrence of cybersecurity incidents.
