Securing Teleworker Networks
by Lisa Phifer
Posted 5/2004; Published 10/2003

Abstract:

Teleworkers push the enterprise security perimeter well beyond the corporate firewall. Always-on residential broadband and wireless services expose home networks to near-continuous probing. Once discovered, unprotected home networks make for easy attack targets. Work-at-home PCs that are compromised can expose confidential data and create back doors. Without appropriate safeguards, mass mailing worms like SoBig and remote access trojans like SubSeven can ride remote access connections right into the company intranet.

For all but the most security-sensitive facilities, cutting off teleworker access is simply unthinkable. Instead, most IT departments try to beef up teleworker security with VPN and anti-virus software. But as teleworker nodes morph into teleworker networks, should your security strategy change? Could you be doing more—or spending less—to eliminate these weak links in your corporate network’s protective armor?

Whether your company simply provides best practice guidelines, recommends products, purchases products for teleworkers or actively installs and manages them, technologies like those described in this article can help you adapt your existing defenses to address new teleworker threats.

About the author:

Lisa Phifer is vice president of Core Competence, Inc., a network security consulting firm based in Chester Springs, PA.

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