Coalition of Nonprofits Join Together to Help Businesses Secure Remote Workforce

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NEW YORK, March 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today a coalition of 13 nonprofit organizations joined the Work From Home. Secure Your Business. campaign. The organizations participating in the campaign include: 

• The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI)
• Cyber-Sicherheitsrat Deutschland e.V./German Cyber-Security Council
• Bestyrelsesforeningen/Danish Board Leadership Society
• Cybercrime Support Network
• APWG
• APWG.eu
• CyberGreen
• Cyber Threat Alliance
• Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute
• Adaptable Security
• Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC)
• Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (TUFF)
• Global Cyber Alliance (GCA)

The Work From Home. Secure Your Business. campaign is focused on shoring up the defenses of a newly remote workforce. Many businesses have been forced to move their day-to-day operations from offices to their employees' homes, as much of the world shelters in place to quell the COVID-19 pandemic. This global remote workforce creates new security risks for businesses, their customers, and employees. Fortunately, there are a few, relatively simple actions employers and employees can take to greatly reduce cyber risk.  

• Update personal and company systems and applications
• Implement two-factor authentication for access to company services
• Use a protective DNS service, such as Quad9

In times when businesses and people are struggling to address the changes they face, this campaign focuses on providing simple actions to improve security.

"Our aim is to provide a unified voice to guide people to put better security in place as they work in a remote environment. While many corporations and government agencies have security protocols and teams of people in place, smaller businesses are not equipped to do that," said Philip Reitinger, GCA President and CEO. "Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good; let's encourage everyone to take a few key steps and then consider if they can do more."

"The Cyber Readiness Institute is pleased to be a partner in this effort and commends GCA for taking the lead. We want to work collaboratively with other nonprofit efforts to centralize resources for SMBs around the world. As businesses manage remote workforces during this pandemic, it is critical to provide easy-to-understand, accessible guidance on fundamental steps they can take to keep their employees and businesses cyber secure," said Kiersten Todt, Managing Director, the Cyber Readiness Institute.    

"Unfortunately working in a new and unfamiliar remote environment very often goes hand in hand with an increase of digital vulnerabilities, which cyber criminals try to profit from by phishing mails or social engineering. The most effective way to help especially smaller businesses to face these challenges is by sharing resources and by international cooperation. Therefore, our council is proud to support the Work From Home. Secure Your Business. campaign as an excellent, easy to access, and self-guidance tool especially for smaller companies to secure their business and digital environment in these difficult times," said Hans-Wilhelm Dünn, President of the Cyber-Security Council Germany.

"The global combat against the COVID-19 pandemic has also caused Denmark to be 'locked down' and businesses and organizations across all industries needed to transform swiftly into a 'work from home' concept - basically overnight. This rapid digital transformation for both management and workforce has many challenges and security is certainly one of the most prevalent. Cybercriminal networks have already taken advantage of the situation and this coalition and campaign to help increase security is more needed than ever. The Board Leadership Society of Denmark takes great pride in our commitment to help Danish businesses and corporations to enhance and increase cyber security, privacy and information integrity - regardless if the work is done from home or in the office. This campaign and toolbox will make the digital working environment more secure and resilient and life easier for all online staff, we hope it will be widely used," said Tom Jacobsgaard, CEO of the Board Leadership Society of Denmark.

The campaign, https://workfromhome.globalcyberalliance.org, provides clear, actionable guidance including links to tools and step-by-step instructions that can be used by companies and employees working remotely to take immediate action and put better security in place in their home environment. To support the campaign and questions that may arise, a Work From Home Community Forum (https://community.globalcyberalliance.org/c/working-from-home/76) has been created as a place where people can go to ask questions and get help from community security experts, including from GCA and other nonprofit organizations. The Work From Home Community Forum contains further resources such as those from non-campaign partners and government agencies. New content will be posted to the website on a weekly basis. 

About the Global Cyber Alliance
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is an international, cross-sector effort dedicated to eradicating cyber risk and improving our connected world. We achieve our mission by uniting global communities, implementing concrete solutions, and measuring the effect. Learn more at www.globalcyberalliance.org

Contact: Aimee Larsen Kirkpatrick, Global Communications Officer, Global Cyber Alliance, [email protected]

SOURCE Global Cyber Alliance

Related Links

http://www.globalcyberalliance.org