With the new fashion of working from home after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is need to guard remote connections. Thus, the more flexibility and cost of remote working rises, organizations are confronted with another threat of remote access. Hackers are always eager to find the weaknesses in remote access solutions, the impact of one attack is loss of information, monetary loss, and tarnished image.
Thus, the threats have led to the formation of measures like the Network and Information Systems Directive 2 (NIS2) and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). These regulations are intended to enhance the cybersecurity of the organizations especially the ones in the critical infrastructure and the financial sector. The failure to observe these regulations is very costly as remote access attracts fines and legal complications and therefore, there is need to put in place measures to ensure the access.
The primary rules of NIS2 compliance in regard to remote access
The NIS2 directive outlines several key requirements for remote access that organizations must adhere to:
- Strong Authentication: Remote access to the critical systems and data is allowed only with the MFA which has to be set for every person. This also helps in ensuring that only authorized personnel gain access hence the level of security is enhanced.
- Secure Remote Access Protocols: Communication between the remote user and the organization’s network must be secure and the only acceptable protocols to use are VPN or Secure Shell (SSH).
- Access Monitoring and Logging: As for noticing and investigating all the activities within the remote access, the strict logging and monitoring system should be used by organizations.
- Vulnerability Management: To minimize the threats and the possibility of attacks with known vulnerabilities, it is necessary to constantly supervise the remote access systems and apply all the patches of these systems.
- Incident Response and Reporting: The organization should have elaborate procedures for managing the occurrence and the capacity to report the right security personnel on a security incident to be compliant and to demonstrate sufficient and adequate action to mitigate the threats.
The Roadmap to NIS2 Compliance in Remote Access
While the NIS2 directive provides a clear framework for securing remote access, organizations may face several challenges in achieving compliance:
- Complexity of Remote Access Infrastructure: There is usually a scenario where an organization’s remote access infrastructure is a blend of new and old solutions, cloud systems and services, and various forms of remote access. Some of the components of the NIS2 are not very easy to integrate so that it meets all the set requirements.
- Lack of Visibility and Control: The activities of the remote access within the distributed workforce becomes hard to track and control especially when the employees use their own gadgets or connect to the network from insecure locations.
- Limited Expertise and Resources: As mentioned earlier, some of the techniques that can be used in the implementation and management of secure remote access may be difficult and might require extra assistance and resources which might be a problem to small enterprises or organizations with limited IT resources.
- User Adoption and Training: On the issue of ensuring that the remote employees are fully informed and are in compliance with the organizations’ remote access security policies, it can be a continuous process because there is always a need to educate and communicate with the end users.
- Evolving Threat Landscape: Because the cyber criminals are always in trend and always modifying their techniques, the enterprises should be alert and should always modify their remote access security to new trend.
Recommendations for NIS2 and DORA Compliance
To address the challenges of NIS2 and DORA compliance for remote access, organizations can leverage a combination of the following effective solutions:
Centralized Remote Access Management Platform:
- This is a central platform for managing the remote access of an organization and its resources. It provides a centralized solution for the management as well as the control of all the remote access activities.
- It supports all types of remote access solutions like VPN, RDP, SSH and others and it fits into the existing environment.
- Comprises of the elements such as the access control, multiple factor identification, and monitoring and logging in real time.
Secure Remote Desktop Solutions:
- Deliver a browser-accessible, zero-trust, remote desktop that does not rely on a VPN.
- Provide an opportunity of end to end encryption and access control techniques in order to enhance security of the remote access to the system.
- Be easily integrated with identity management solutions and must support multi-factor authentication.
Endpoint Security and Monitoring Tools:
- Ensure that the remote devices are set to meet the security standards and they are protected from viruses and such other ailments.
- Provide a glimpse into the activities of the remote users and enable real time monitoring and notification of such activities.
- Contribute to the processes of security enhancement such as data encryption, controlling the access to the devices and other security procedures.
Security Awareness and Training Programs:
- Remind the workers in the teleworking environment of the security precautions to be observed when using their office computers at home, for instance, the password to use, and the way to identify the phishing scams and what to do if they come across one.
- Promote cybersecurity in the organization and involve the remote employees to ensure that the organization has a good security stander.
Continuous vulnerability assessment and patch management:
- Ensure that the organization practices good vulnerability management that will assist in the identification of vulnerabilities in remote access systems.
- Plan the delivery of security patch and updates so as to protect the system that supports remote access from new threats.
Incident Response and Reporting Capabilities:
- Develop and rehearse incident response procedures to ensure that the organization is prepared for security incidents
- Ensure the smooth and efficient management of communication and escalation processes in order to deliver the required and immediate notification of the security incidents to the concerned bodies as per NIS2 and DORA.
Thus, these efficient solutions can help optimize the processes for organizations to implement NIS2 and DORA requirements for remote access and improve the security of the remote work.
Advantages of Following NIS2 and DORA Compliant Systems
Adopting NIS2 and DORA compliant solutions for remote access can provide organizations with a range of benefits:
- Improved Cybersecurity Posture: Through the use of strong security measures and continuous auditing processes, the likelihood of cyber criminals gaining access to an organization’s computer networks and systems can be minimized.
- Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to NIS2 and DORA can also save organizations from significant penalties and legal repercussions to ensure customers, partners, and regulators’ confidence.
- Enhanced Operational Resilience: Solutions for remote access that are built to be secure and have backup capabilities are beneficial for an organization since they will enable the organization to continue business as usual and lessen the effects of a disruption like a natural disaster or a cyber attack.
- Increased Visibility and Control: Control and monitoring tools give an organization a single point of control and visibility of all remote access activities allowing for timely identification of any security threats.
- Improved User Experience: Effective solutions for remote access can provide a clean and intuitive interface for the distant workers, thus promoting the correct usage of the security policies.
- Competitive Advantage: Cybersecurity and compliance with the requirements of law-making bodies are critical for creating a competitive advantage and gaining customers’ and partners’ confidence.
Conclusion
Amid the new normal that is characterized by increased work from home practices, the protection of remote access is considered paramount for businesses of all types. It is possible to say that the NIS2 and DORA compliance frameworks are quite clear in terms of defining the necessary steps to secure remote access; however, it can be quite a difficult task to achieve compliance.
With help of efficient solutions like remote access management platform, secure remote desktop, and powerful endpoint protection and monitoring tools, organizations can easily address NIS2 and DORA obligations. Also, incorporating security awareness training and effective handling of security incidents would also be useful in enhancing an organization’s security when implementing remote access.
When addressing the issue of remote access security, organizations can not only prevent the negative effects of non-compliance but also improve the organization’s cybersecurity position, ensure the security of valuable assets, and retain customers and partners’ trust.
