Secure Remote Access - Business Tips | Federal Trade Commission

Companies may need to give employees, clients or service providers remote access to their networks. Includes tips for developing your remote access policies.

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Transcript:

Think about the employees, business partners, and service providers who have access to your network. Does your company have policies that require their computers to be equipped with basic security measures, like properly configured firewalls and up to date antivirus software? Not doing so can be disastrous.

One mortgage company-- the subject of an FTC case-- gave a home seller an authorized logon to its network, but the company failed to assess the seller's system to make sure adequate security measures were in place. An unauthorized person hacked into the seller's computer, and used the logon to access 400 credit reports. Reduce the risk by requiring any computer with remote access to your network to be equipped with appropriate security protections.

In addition, not everyone connecting remotely to your network needs an all access pass. In another FTC case, a major entertainment company learned this the hard way when it failed to limit remote access to its network. A hacker exploited weaknesses in a third party security system, and gained access to information for over 130,000 credit and debit cards. The damage-- several hundred thousand dollars of fraudulent charges.

Create policies for anyone with access to your network, including employees, business partners, and service providers. Consider restricting connections to specified IP addresses. Make access temporary and limited to what's needed to get the job done.

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