Page 58 - Cyber Defense eMagazine June 2020 Edition

Cleaning up “Dirty” Wi-Fi for Secure Work-from-Home

Access

By Matias Katz, CEO, Byos

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on the use of VPNs to help provide safe, secure connectivity
during this historic COVID-19 crisis and the massive move to working from home that has resulted.

However, VPNs are not a definitive answer for secure connectivity; the major problem lies with the nature
of home Wi-Fi, and with threat vectors that VPNs can’t address. VPNs encrypt data in transit, but they
don’t isolate the device from the network. This means that corporate devices are still exposed to threats,
even when using a VPN.

The Risks of Home Wi-Fi Networks

Wi-Fi networks, whether in public or private, are by their very nature dirty, and home Wi-Fi networks are
no different.

There are often 10 or more unmanaged devices connecting to the average home Wi-Fi network, such as
personal laptops, cellphones, gaming consoles, and home IoT devices. Home internet usage compounds
the risk because family members often unwittingly helping bad actors: gamers may download malicious

Cyber Defense eMagazine –June 2020 Edition 58
Copyright © 2020, Cyber Defense Magazine. All rights reserved worldwide.