Working from home has increased cyber risks — but a punitive approach to security can be counter-productive

The pandemic has highlighted security vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, says a veteran of the US government’s cyber emergency response team.

The shift to widespread working from home has opened up new opportunities for cyber crime, warns critical infrastructure security expert Marty Edwards.

“In the move to a home office type environment, now you’ve got people interacting with online banking, online shopping. They’re doing non-work things on work computers and vice-versa,” says Edwards, who was previously director of the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team.