Increasingly, employees at all levels of the company structure require the facility to work from home or a remote location during business travel, site visits and the like. Most notebooks and laptop computers come with a built-in modem, a device that allows the computer to communicate via email, log on to your base corporate network, or search the web using a standard telephone connection.

Security protocols that are applied to desktop computers in the office also apply to these portable computers, and in some cases, extra security is needed to ensure total confidence.

As technology advances, the use of wireless networks is becoming more and more prevalent, but they are the most vulnerable to outside threats. In fact, a recent experiment conducted by an information security specialist company in a major capital city in Australia showed that during a walk down the main street in the CBD with a laptop computer, a small aerial, and wireless network detection software that is available free as a download on the Web, the research team were able to access networks in the offices of major business and banks up and down the street.

It might be an interesting concept to be able to take your laptop to your favourite coffee shop and continue working on the office network via a wireless hub set up nearby while enjoying a coffee, but anybody with the skills and readily available hardware and software could be monitoring your traffic or even piggy-backing on your access point to infiltrate other parts of the company network.   Unauthorised modems can leave IT systems open to virus infection and attack. Hackers scanning the Internet can find, identify and lock into modems and simply use your employee's laptop to access the company network. In most cases, the user is not even aware that this intrusion is taking place as there are no indicators or warnings on the computer.

What to do

Ensure you have the following policies and procedures in place:

• Remote access policy should be clearly documented, communicated, implemented and enforced.
• In/outbound communication via external modem must be approved and validated.
• Leave all dial-up modems disconnected unless actually in use.
• Enforce proper authentication of all external users.
• Each user must have an individual password and user ID.
• All dial-up and remote access activities should be recorded and reviewed on a periodic basis.
• Dial-up should be validated by a secured process (Virtual Private Network or VPN) to restrict the number of users of dial-up access communication.

For more information on security issues, you might like to look at this tip sheed developed by DCITA as part of their publication, Internet Security Essentials for Small Business:

 Internet Security Essentials Tip 7 - Develop your system with secure passswords (79 kb)*

*Source:  Internet Security Essentials for Small Business, produced by DCITA.  For more information go to http://www.dcita.gov.au/communications_for_consumers/security/e-security/internet_security_essentials_for_small_business.

Related topics: Ethical e-marketing

 e-businessguide Case Study - Force Technology International (447 kb)

 e-businessguide Case Study - Copytime (439 kb)

Next topic in this section >