Office returnees as targets for cyber criminals: How employees and companies can protect themselves
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 10:00 am
On July 1st, the home office requirement in Germany will end. Then employers will no longer have to offer their employees the option of working from home . As people return to work, new entry points for cyber criminals will emerge. The digital association Bitkom describes possible attack scenarios and explains how companies can protect themselves.
Criminals are once again increasingly relying on context-specific phishing attacks. This was recently confirmed by US media reports. "Employees receive emails from their company's IT manager, who welcomes them back to the office - with a logo and signature. A link in the message refers to new precautionary measures that the company is taking with regard to the pandemic. In order to access these documents, employees must then enter their password. In reality, this is intended to intercept the access data," explains Sebastian Artz, Information Security and Security Policy Officer at Bitkom.
Such phishing attacks are not unusual, but once again cyber criminals are adapting particularly quickly to the new circumstances. At the beginning of the corona pandemic, they took advantage of employees' increased need for information to carry out targeted phishing campaigns. "When switching to teleworking and home offices, cyber security played only a minor role. This made it easier for many criminals to attack IT systems," explains Artz. Now there is a risk that a similar pattern will repeat itself as we return to the office.
In addition to employees acting cautiously, companies also need to plan ahead: malaysia gambling data For example, devices used in the home office should not be used in the company again without thinking. "Companies must expect that cyber criminals have already anticipated this and that devices have been deliberately infiltrated in order to wait for the moment when the devices are back on the company network - just like a Trojan horse that is simply carried back through the company's front door when the home office requirement is lifted," warns Bitkom expert Artz. The return of the devices should therefore be carefully recorded and inventoried. Companies should ensure that the devices have all the latest updates and have been checked for malware before they are used again on the company network.
"Otherwise, companies face serious consequences, as the recent wave of ransomware incidents has shown," warns Artz. "As soon as malicious code has been introduced and cyber criminals have gained access, it spreads bit by bit throughout the company network. Information is then leaked, the systems are encrypted and a ransom is extorted," the Bitkom expert explains a typical attack.
It is therefore crucial to actively and promptly identify the risks. "Unfortunately, many companies still fail at this point," says Artz. In the short term, all employees should therefore be made aware of the dangers. "All employees must be aware that even supposedly trustworthy emails should be critically examined. This includes verifying the sender's address if there is any suspicion and checking for confusing letter sequences or swapped characters. In any case, those affected should never click on links or file attachments without thinking," says Artz. If this does happen, the security officers in the company must be informed as quickly as possible. "Responsiveness is the key to limiting damage. This requires established processes and contact persons in the company. To do this, companies must recognize that security is not a one-off solution, but an ongoing process that requires appropriate financial and human resources," says Bitkom expert Artz.
Criminals are once again increasingly relying on context-specific phishing attacks. This was recently confirmed by US media reports. "Employees receive emails from their company's IT manager, who welcomes them back to the office - with a logo and signature. A link in the message refers to new precautionary measures that the company is taking with regard to the pandemic. In order to access these documents, employees must then enter their password. In reality, this is intended to intercept the access data," explains Sebastian Artz, Information Security and Security Policy Officer at Bitkom.
Such phishing attacks are not unusual, but once again cyber criminals are adapting particularly quickly to the new circumstances. At the beginning of the corona pandemic, they took advantage of employees' increased need for information to carry out targeted phishing campaigns. "When switching to teleworking and home offices, cyber security played only a minor role. This made it easier for many criminals to attack IT systems," explains Artz. Now there is a risk that a similar pattern will repeat itself as we return to the office.
In addition to employees acting cautiously, companies also need to plan ahead: malaysia gambling data For example, devices used in the home office should not be used in the company again without thinking. "Companies must expect that cyber criminals have already anticipated this and that devices have been deliberately infiltrated in order to wait for the moment when the devices are back on the company network - just like a Trojan horse that is simply carried back through the company's front door when the home office requirement is lifted," warns Bitkom expert Artz. The return of the devices should therefore be carefully recorded and inventoried. Companies should ensure that the devices have all the latest updates and have been checked for malware before they are used again on the company network.
"Otherwise, companies face serious consequences, as the recent wave of ransomware incidents has shown," warns Artz. "As soon as malicious code has been introduced and cyber criminals have gained access, it spreads bit by bit throughout the company network. Information is then leaked, the systems are encrypted and a ransom is extorted," the Bitkom expert explains a typical attack.
It is therefore crucial to actively and promptly identify the risks. "Unfortunately, many companies still fail at this point," says Artz. In the short term, all employees should therefore be made aware of the dangers. "All employees must be aware that even supposedly trustworthy emails should be critically examined. This includes verifying the sender's address if there is any suspicion and checking for confusing letter sequences or swapped characters. In any case, those affected should never click on links or file attachments without thinking," says Artz. If this does happen, the security officers in the company must be informed as quickly as possible. "Responsiveness is the key to limiting damage. This requires established processes and contact persons in the company. To do this, companies must recognize that security is not a one-off solution, but an ongoing process that requires appropriate financial and human resources," says Bitkom expert Artz.