How to Prevent Data Breach In a Remote Work Environment Using "Remote Safely"

The rapid shift to remote work that emerged during the pandemic has revolutionized the way businesses operate, but it has also presented new challenges in ensuring data security. Prior to this paradigm shift, companies relied on strict physical security measures within their on-site facilities to protect sensitive data. However, with employees now dispersed across various remote locations, the need for advanced security tools to prevent data breaches has become paramount.

To address the challenges associated with the inability to utilize physical security controls in remote work environment, EPAM has developed Remote Safely. This solution is designed to enhance the overall security of remote teams and provides a robust protection against data breaches caused by attacks conducted through unauthorized observation and photo capturing, reinforcing data protection measures without strict physical controls.

Data Breaches Through Low-Tech Physical Attacks

While statistics on visual hacking incidents may be limited, disregarding data breach risks would be unwise. Difficulties in attributing data leaks to visual hacking, along with the demonstrated high success rate of such attacks, make it evident that addressing these vulnerabilities should not be overlooked, particularly for companies entrusted with sensitive data.

Data breaches may happen, for example, when someone unauthorized gains visual access to sensitive information and manages to steal it, by taking a photo using their smartphone, for instance. Just one such security incident can have far-reaching consequences, including substantial financial losses, regulatory penalties, customer attrition, damage to brand reputation, and the possibility of legal actions against the companies involved.

This is why it is crucial to recognize the importance of addressing physical security threats and not underestimating their potential impact.

How Does “Remote Safely” Prevent Data Breach?

Remote Safely focuses on prevention of data leakage and security risks originating from the physical environment, particularly those executed through low-tech means e.g. visual hacking. It offers digital alternatives to traditional security controls, such as CCTV cameras and access control systems, that can easily be used to harden the physical security of any environment and prevent data breach incidents. Remote Safely relies on computer vision and cloud computing technologies to deliver continuous identity verification and identify potentially dangerous events.

It detects situations such as:

• Unlocked screen when a worker is away

• Presence of an unauthorized person in front of the screen

• Attempts to take photos of the screen using a camera of a smartphone

Remote Safely features ensure that potential security breaches are promptly identified, and appropriate actions can be taken to mitigate the risks.

From a technical standpoint, Remote Safely consists of a desktop service application that captures webcam photos of space in front of the screen of a remote worker and a cloud-based AI infrastructure that analyzes these images for potential malicious activities. If anomalies are detected, alerts are generated, and proactive measures, such as locking or blocking the desktop, are taken to prevent data leaks. Furthermore, the solution can prevent the accidental or deliberate exposure of sensitive corporate information by blocking any attempts to capture or share screens, as well as unauthorized data projection onto external display devices.

7 Key Benefits of “Remote Safely”

Remote Safely is designed to meet the needs of businesses across various industries that process confidential information, including corporate or client data. Here are some key benefits the solution provides:

1. Robust Data Protection

Remote Safely establishes a strong defense against data breaches, ensuring the security of sensitive information and safeguarding a company's reputation.

2. Alignment with Zero Trust Approach

Remote Safely complements the Zero Trust approach to cybersecurity by providing continuous user authentication and advanced access control measures based on user behavior and external risk factors. This strengthens overall security and aligns with modern security frameworks.

3. Seamless Transition to Remote Work

The solution facilitates a smooth and effortless transition to remote work, regardless of the physical location, enabling teams to collaborate securely while maintaining data confidentiality.

4. Simplified Regulatory Compliance

Remote Safely simplifies the complex task of regulatory compliance by offering features that ensure adherence to data protection regulations. This reduces the risk of penalties or legal issues arising from non-compliance.

5. Cost Reduction

By eliminating the need for extensive on-premise physical security measures, Remote Safely helps businesses decrease costs associated with maintaining secure physical environments, such as surveillance systems, security personnel, and access control mechanisms.

6. Resilience to Disasters & Emergency Events

Remote Safely ensures uninterrupted operations during disasters by enabling secure remote access to systems and applications, allowing organizations to activate their remote workforce and maintain productivity. It also enhances data security, communication, and compliance measures, enabling organizations to respond rapidly, protect employee safety, and recover efficiently during emergency events.

7. Enhanced Customer Trust

The commitment to data protection through Remote Safely enhances customer trust. Demonstrating a dedication to maintaining the highest standards of data security fosters stronger relationships with clients and solidifies the company's reputation as a trusted custodian of sensitive information.

“Remote Safely” Case Studies

In the numerous success stories, from various industries and company sizes, there is one common thing - a firm dedication to upholding and implementing best practices in data security.

1. Airline Industry

A notable airline company faced the challenge of processing highly sensitive customer data by remote staff. To address this, they introduced Remote Safely, seamlessly integrating it with their network infrastructure. This integration allowed them to ensure that physical security risks are successfully mitigated during access to protected resources in the client’s network.

2. Financial Analytics and Business Intelligence

A multinational financial services company needed to utilize a remote workforce to process sensitive data, which was previously done only from on-site secure rooms. To solve this challenge, they set up Remote Safely to function within their Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, and workers used it to access the client’s environment. This enabled them to enforce the security policies during remote work with the client’s critical data and effectively mitigate physical security risks. As a result, the company improved security measures during work from home and eliminated the need for all staff to be physically present on-site.

3. Banking Industry

A major US bank utilizes Remote Safely to strengthen its physical security and mitigate the risk of data leaks in remote work environments. This enables employees working from home to operate under digital monitoring through Remote Safely when accessing sensitive information, ensuring a secure remote working experience. As a result, the bank can maintain high levels of security while embracing the flexibility and efficiency of remote work practices.

5 Key Customization Options for “Remote Safely”

Remote Safely offers various customization options to meet a customer's specific needs and constraints. Here are the most common ones:

1. Monitoring and Response Type

Customers have the flexibility to set up the system behavior according to the monitoring and response type they prefer:

1. Manual: A trained security team proactively monitors anomalies, interacts with remote agents, and takes preventive measures to mitigate data breaches.

2. Semi-automatic: Monitoring involves personnel oversight, and certain events are automatically resolved to minimize continuous human intervention.

3. Fully automatic: AI monitoring autonomously detects potentially risky events and implements preventive measures before the data breach occurs. This customization type offers numerous benefits, including cost savings on operational labor, reduced concerns about data privacy from employees and regulators due to minimal personal data stored, and limited access to sensitive data for a smaller group.

With these monitoring options, clients can customize the process to align with their business needs.

2. Anomalies to Detect

Customers can select the specific anomalies that need to be detected and define custom rules for risk mitigation and alerting. For instance, they can set up a rule that automatically locks the employee's desktop if it is left unlocked while the employee is away. Another option is to block the employee's desktop and notify their manager if the system detects an unauthorized person in front of the screen.

Furthermore, such rules may include thresholds. For example, you can specify the duration of an event or the number of events within a specified period as a threshold. In this case, the action will be triggered only when the threshold is reached.

3. Data Processing

Remote Safely offers customization options to adapt and adhere to the data protection regulations of various countries and unique business rules in terms of personal data processing. For instance, clients can specify the scope of personal data retained and set the timeframe for its deletion.

4. Monitoring Activation

With Remote Safely it is possible to define the conditions for the monitoring activation. It can be configured to:

1. Run on the workstation continuously

2. Start automatically whenever the employee commits access to the protected data

3. Started manually by the employees themselves or by the system operator as a pre-condition to gaining access to sensitive data

5. Hardware Configuration

Remote Safely can be customized to align with the endpoint hardware configuration of remote workers. For example, customers have the option to specify whether employees are allowed to utilize external monitors or if only laptop screens are permitted as the designated displaying device.

Wide-Angle Cameras Overcoming Limitations Of the Standard Web Cameras

Although the default configuration of Remote Safely, which utilizes a built-in camera, meets the needs of most customers, there are some who seek to minimize the risk of overlooking security incidents that could go unnoticed due to the limited visibility range of standard built-in web cameras.

In response to this, a custom wide-angle camera was created that offers a 180-degree field of view. It is securely mounted on the display device, preventing any attempts to remove it without violating the monitoring process. This ensures that there is no possibility for an attacker to deceive the system by placing the camera away from the designated workspace.

“Remote Safely” Delivery Options

EPAM can deliver Remote Safely in two ways:

1. As a cloud service, in which case EPAM manages the monitoring process and acts as the data processor.

2. On the client's premises, where the client is responsible for managing their own monitoring process without involving data processors.

Regardless of the chosen delivery option, EPAM offers extensive technical support and can fulfill client requests for custom developments and integrations.

Smooth and Efficient Delivery Process

The delivery process of Remote Safely typically takes 1-2 months, depending on client requirements and custom development needs.

It begins with gathering business requirements and evaluating the client's existing network security architecture. EPAM then works closely with the client to seamlessly integrate Remote Safely into their infrastructure, making necessary modifications to their corporate network.

Once integrated, EPAM assists with system configuration according to the client's needs and provides comprehensive training for administrators and monitored individuals. The goal is to ensure that clients are well-equipped to maintain the system and understand the monitoring process.

Integration Capabilities

It is possible to integrate Remote Safely with several popular tools and services. For instance, it can transmit event data to Splunk service for in-depth analysis and further exploration. Remote Safely can also provide the monitoring state data to popular VPN clients, including Palo Alto Global Protect, and other security agents installed on the workstation, which can utilize it to conduct workstation security posture checks before providing network access to a protected resource.

In addition to this, EPAM offers the flexibility of customized integration with any other customers’ software, including Security Incidents and Events, Reporting, and Identity Management systems.

Data Protection Compliance in 5 Steps

Remote Safely ensures compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR by:

1. Integrating privacy considerations into its design

2. Implementing robust data security measures

3. Obtaining user consent

4. Adhering to data retention policies

5. Maintaining transparent privacy policies

This ensures effective protection of user data and compliance with regulatory requirements. Furthermore, Remote Safely guarantees the security and trustworthiness of its platform through regular comprehensive audits, such as ISO 27701 (PIMS), SOC 2, and SOC 3.

Employees' Data Privacy Concerns

Monitoring solutions often struggle to balance effective monitoring with privacy concerns. Employees frequently express discomfort with continuous monitoring through camera, as well as the storage and utilization of their personal data. Therefore, finding the right balance between achieving desired monitoring outcomes and respecting privacy is crucial to foster trust.

While developing Remote Safely, EPAM has invested significant time and resources in finding the optimal solution that ensures sufficient monitoring data for effective risk mitigation while respecting employee privacy and fulfilling customer needs in relation to country-specific data protection laws.

Final Thoughts - “Remote Safely” Roadmap

The focus lies in leveraging advanced AI technologies to enhance anomaly detection, including heuristic-based risk likelihood calculations. Remote Safely team is working on developing robust features to automate risk prevention, reporting, and alerting. The team is also expanding integrations with external tools, such as HR employee record systems, Reporting tools, Zero Trust Network, and DLP solutions. Additionally, Remote Safely will soon have device validation capabilities, along with advanced security measures to maintain control over user access to remote virtual desktops based on Remote Safely monitoring status on the user's endpoint.

Regular monitoring of market trends and client feedback informs Remote Safely roadmap for updates and new features, ensuring innovation and meeting evolving user needs in preventing data breaches.