Digital skills that are most important for a smooth-running hybrid work setup

In a hybrid work setup, employees have the freedom to work either remotely or in the office. When implemented correctly, this arrangement not only helps companies save money, but can also improve employee morale and productivity. To implement a successful hybrid working setup, it’s critical that your company uses the right tools and that your employees develop appropriate digital skills. In this blog, we’ll discuss the most important digital skills for hybrid working.

What are digital skills?

Digital skills refer to abilities related to leveraging computing and communication solutions in order to learn, obtain, manage, and share digital information. A few years ago, these abilities were considered to be quite specialized. But with the increasing adoption of IT in business, digital skills are now a standard requirement in virtually every industry.

No hybrid work setup is possible without digital technologies like project management apps, video conferencing services, and collaboration tools. It’s only when they possess the right digital skills that your hybrid staff can use and make the most of these technologies.

What digital skills are essential for hybrid work?

To ensure the success of your hybrid work arrangement, your employees need to develop the following digital skills:

Digital literacy

Your staff must know how to use digital devices and tools to achieve their desired outcomes. This means being able to write and send emails, operate computers and smartphones, and search for information online, among other activities related to their jobs. With strong digital literacy skills, your hybrid employees can be productive whether they’re working in or outside the office.

Adaptability

Hybrid workers need to periodically switch between two or more workplace environments. This means they must be able to adjust their habits and work methods based on the task at hand and whether they’re working remotely or in the office. For example, an employee who’s used to working in the office may need to learn how to collaborate seamlessly with teammates while working remotely.

Communication

Hybrid workers must be able to communicate effectively using different tools and mediums and regardless of their location. For instance, they must know how to express themselves and understand instructions whether through text, audio, or video, or a combination of these at the same time. They must also be able to deliver presentations and explain concepts virtually.

Time management

In many cases, hybrid employees work without a fixed daily schedule. Although this gives them the freedom to work at a comfortable pace, it can also lead to procrastination and a lot of unfinished tasks. Hybrid workers must, therefore, know how to set goals and manage their time wisely. This involves using digital tools like project management apps to keep track of their deliverables and break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones.

Cybersecurity

Remote workers usually do not have access to the enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions that protect office workers and IT systems. For this reason, it’s not surprising that when companies began adopting flexible working arrangements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime rates jumped by 300%. And cybercriminals likely won’t stop targeting remote workers anytime soon.

Because of this, hybrid workers’ skillset must include the knowledge of and ability to follow cybersecurity best practices. This means knowing how to create strong passwords, update business apps, and back up sensitive data, among other measures. They must also be able to identify common cyberthreats like phishing and know how to effectively respond to these. Your company should have all employees undergo cybersecurity awareness training to ensure that they possess these skills and knowledge.

The right digital skills can help your remote employees be productive and secure no matter where they work. If you want to further boost your company’s cybersecurity, you should partner with [company_short]. Our IT experts can train your hybrid teams on cybersecurity best practices and recommend solutions to make your hybrid work setup succeed. Contact us today to get started.

Everything you need to know about privilege escalation threats

Today’s IT systems are designed to support multiple user accounts, each of which provides the user with a specific set of abilities called privileges. These privileges may include accessing certain hardware or applications, viewing or editing files, and making modifications to the IT system. High-level privileges, such as those held by IT administrators, often provide greater access and control over the system than lower-tier privileges, such as those given to guest users, do.

What is privilege escalation?

In privilege escalation, an attacker exploits errors, vulnerabilities, and configuration oversights in an operating system to access IT resources and areas beyond what their privileges normally allow. For instance, cybercriminals who have stolen a low-level employee’s user account credentials can use privilege escalation techniques to gain abilities reserved only for members of the company’s IT team.

Privilege escalation is rarely the end goal for cybercriminals — rather, it is often one of the initial steps toward various malicious activities. When successful, it gives crooks greater control over the victim’s IT system, enabling them to access sensitive data and disable key security measures. They can then more easily plant malware, commit data theft, and launch more specific cyberattacks.

There are two types of privilege escalation, namely vertical and horizontal. Vertical privilege escalation involves someone with low-level privileges attempting to gain higher ones. Horizontal privilege escalation, on the other hand, involves someone with high-tier privileges trying to access company resources that are outside their normal area of responsibility. For instance, a cybercriminal may use IT admin privileges to access the company’s bank accounts.

Privilege escalation is rarely the end goal for cybercriminals — rather, it is often one of the initial steps toward various malicious activities.

How can you prevent privilege escalation?

Preventing privilege escalation can save your company from the reputational and financial damage caused by cyberattacks. To do this, you will need a two-layered approach that addresses the various privilege escalation techniques used by cybercriminals.

Layer 1: Employees/Users

In many cases, cybercriminals must first gain access to your employees’ credentials. You can address this risk with the following steps:

1. Enforce the principle of least privilege

Give your employees access to only the specific resources they need to accomplish their tasks. For example, HR staff should not be able to reconfigure IT security. This limits the amount of data that cybercriminals can access and prevents them from easily moving laterally across your network.

2. Implement password best practices

Sometimes, cybercriminals can steal user accounts by simply guessing the owner’s password. Prevent this by requiring your staff to follow password best practices, including:

Creating passwords that are at least 12 characters long and composed of letters, numbers, and special characters
Using a unique password for each of their online accounts
Never keeping their passwords in notebooks, memo pads, word and text documents, and other media that can be easily seen or stolen

You can also use password managers like LastPass and Dashlane to make creating, storing, and updating passwords easier. To further boost account security, implement multifactor authentication where possible. This requires users to submit several proofs of their identity before they can enter online accounts or access resources, preventing cybercriminals from getting far across your network even with stolen passwords.

3. Train your staff

Cybersecurity awareness training can help your staff avoid mistakes that can lead to cyber incidents and turns them into valuable assets for your company’s cybersecurity.

Layer 2: Applications

Cybercriminals may also exploit vulnerabilities in your business applications to infiltrate your network. You can address this risk through the following methods:

1. Update your applications regularly

Software manufacturers typically release patches for errors, bugs, and security vulnerabilities in their products. You should install these updates the moment they become available to prevent cybercriminals from abusing these flaws at your company’s expense.

2. Review and correct permissions

Make sure that the access permissions on all of your company’s files, directories, and servers can be accessed only by the right users.

3. Remove unused user accounts

Regularly audit current user accounts and delete those created for former employees. Unused accounts can be used by cybercriminals as entry points and may also be utilized for insider attacks.

Privilege escalation is a complex issue that poses immense risk to your organization. At [company_short], our cybersecurity specialists can help by uncovering weaknesses in your IT infrastructure and developing strategies to effectively address these. Start taking steps against privilege escalation by contacting our IT experts today.