At work, you likely have a sophisticated IT team that\u00a0constantly monitors and safeguards your company\u2019s technology\u00a0infrastructure and the data flowing in and out of your network.\u00a0But if that same team of IT professionals isn\u2019t providing\u00a0security oversight for your home network, you\u2019re putting\u00a0yourself and your company in grave danger.<\/p>\n
Cybercriminals constantly troll\u00a0for targets and, as far as targets go,\u00a0CEOs sit at the center of the proverbial\u00a0bulls-eye. Your title, your deal-making\u00a0authority and the fact that your\u00a0regular travel schedule makes it easier\u00a0for others to fall prey to schemes\u00a0where crooks impersonate you and\u00a0instruct an employee at your company\u00a0to transfer funds on your behalf\u00a0all factor into that appeal.<\/p>\n
Think this type of cybercrime only\u00a0happens to the other guys? Think\u00a0again. According to the Internet Crime\u00a0Complaint Center, an intelligence and\u00a0investigative group within the FBI\u00a0that tracks computer crimes, more\u00a0than 12,000 businesses worldwide\u00a0were targeted between October 2013\u00a0and February 2016 by fraudulent CEO\u00a0email scams (generally via hacking,\u00a0phishing emails or email spoofing). The\u00a0reported cost to affected companies\u00a0totaled roughly $2 billion\u2014and that\u00a0figure didn\u2019t include unreported scams\u00a0or the additional harm caused by theft\u00a0of personal identities, intellectual property and confidential information. It\u00a0also doesn\u2019t encompass the irreparable\u00a0damages caused to affected individuals,\u00a0families or corporate brands.<\/p>\n
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CYBERSECURITY\u00a0EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME<\/strong> \u201cThe CEO and other C-suite executives,\u00a0as privileged, remote users at\u00a0home, are part of this unsustainable\u00a0exercise at the office, which is the\u00a0equivalent of changing the wheels\u00a0on your car while you\u2019re driving at\u00a0100 mph,\u201d Pasdar explains. In other\u00a0words, the vast majority of companies\u00a0are struggling to keep up with security\u00a0across their own networks, meaning\u00a0the home networks of busy CEOs who\u00a0probably aren\u2019t vigilant about changing\u00a0their Wi-Fi passwords once a year\u00a0are often unguarded.<\/p>\n Those home networks, in turn,\u00a0become the gateways through which\u00a0cyberthieves infiltrate companies.\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s an enormous incentive\u00a0to break into an executive\u2019s home\u00a0network,\u201d says Roderick Jones, CEO\u00a0of Concentric Advisors, a Kirkland,\u00a0Washington-based global provider\u00a0of comprehensive risk analysis and\u00a0customized security strategies for\u00a0large corporations, international\u00a0brands and high net worth individuals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe typical executive\u2019s home\u00a0network\u2014including desktops, laptops,\u00a0printers, smart phones, gaming\u00a0devices, smart TVs and various other\u00a0electronics\u2014makes for a wider attack\u00a0surface that provides multiple ways\u00a0in. To a hacker, an executive\u2019s home\u00a0looks like a small business, which is\u00a0why institutions need to think about\u00a0extending the perimeter of their cyber\u00a0defense for the safety of the company,\u00a0its executives and its investors.\u201d<\/p>\n One way to fend off would-be infiltrators\u00a0is to bring the same security\u00a0vigilance you practice in the office to\u00a0the homefront. \u201cCEOs, COOs, CFOs,\u00a0general counsel and the board of\u00a0directors should have the company\u2019s\u00a0IT department set up their home\u00a0networks,\u201d advises Casey Fleming,\u00a0CEO of Black Ops, a Washington,\u00a0DC-based full-spectrum information\u00a0security advisor to senior executives\u00a0and corporate boards. \u201cThere should\u00a0be one network for work-only, and a\u00a0completely separate one to be used\u00a0for the family. That\u2019s how you start to\u00a0protect corporate information.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve called in IT expertise,\u00a0it\u2019s also important to heed their\u00a0advice. In other words, don\u2019t pull out\u00a0your CEO card when the experts tell\u00a0you that an application isn\u2019t sanctioned\u00a0for enterprise usage. \u201cC-level\u00a0folks are part of the problem in\u00a0that they\u2019re the first ones to break\u00a0standards,\u201d explains Pasdar. \u201cThey\u2019ll\u00a0say, \u2018Look, I know this is against our\u00a0standard, but I really want this app,\u00a0phone, laptop or whatever.\u2019 Don\u2019t\u00a0make exceptions for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BEYOND THE\u00a0USUAL SUSPECTS<\/strong> \u201cYou may have an alarm system\u00a0that requires the use of your home\u00a0Wi-Fi, or you may have Wi-Fi-enabled\u00a0home automation, such as\u00a0a thermostat, controlled doorlock\u00a0or a sensor-equipped refrigerator\u00a0that tells you when you need to go\u00a0shopping for more milk or eggs,\u201d\u00a0says Bat Blue\u2019s Pasdar. \u201cAll of this\u00a0is manifesting itself in the homes of\u00a0executives where a Wi-Fi controlled In theory, the threat doesn\u2019t even\u00a0stop at the devices that you overtly or\u00a0tacitly connect to the Internet. \u201cIf you\u00a0don\u2019t have your router locked down,\u00a0any device that you leave plugged in\u00a024\/7, such as a refrigerator or a coffee\u00a0machine, can have a $1.57 communications\u00a0chip in it that routes all of your\u00a0Internet traffic somewhere else\u2014including\u00a0email, web searches and\u00a0photos,\u201d points out Black Ops\u2019 Casey\u00a0Fleming. \u201cWhen the Internet of Things\u00a0advances and all those devices become\u00a0even smarter, something as seemingly\u00a0benign as a Smart TV, a wireless\u00a0baby monitor or a Wi-Fi camera [can]\u00a0record everything the camera sees and\u00a0send that info back to China, Russia,\u00a0India or anywhere else in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n While that level of technological\u00a0espionage may sound like something\u00a0out of Will Smith\u2019s next action film\u00a0rather than your reality, there\u2019s no denying\u00a0that cybersecurity in the home\u00a0is a huge and growing issue\u2014and\u00a0one that CEOs would do well to take\u00a0seriously.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nYour IT department most likely has\u00a0dedicated personnel and a complex\u00a0layer of products designed to look for\u00a0hackers, perform behavioral analysis\u00a0and content control and prevent leaks\u00a0of confidential information, among\u00a0other equally important tasks. But\u00a0each facet of that corporate security\u00a0regimen requires your company to\u00a0\u201cacquire technology, then implement,\u00a0integrate, operationalize, manage,\u00a0troubleshoot and refresh it across\u00a0branches, clouds, SaaS applications,\u00a0mobile devices and remote users,\u201d\u00a0explains Babak Pasdar, CEO and\u00a0founder of Bat Blue, a leading cloud\u00a0security company based in Clifton,\u00a0New Jersey.<\/p>\n
\nPersonal computers, printers, smart\u00a0phones and tablets are all obvious\u00a0points of vulnerability\u2014but\u00a0the pervasiveness of technology is\u00a0creating new home security gaps\u00a0of which CEOs need to be aware.<\/p>\n
\ndoorlock ends up on a network with\u00a0VPN access to confidential corporate\u00a0data. Those devices aren\u2019t designed\u00a0for MacAfee or Symantec. That\u2019s a real\u00a0challenge,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n