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While the best collaboration software boosts team productivity, it can also expose companies to security risks — using third-party software to send or store sensitive data reduces an organization’s control over that information.
Collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams or Monday.com, are designed to make it easier and faster for workers to share information and work collaboratively. However, they can make it easier for threat actors to steal data without being noticed.
Although, according to Trend Micro, email is still the main way to attack businesses, the increased use of collaboration tools introduces new vulnerabilities.
According to Mimecast’s Collaboration Security: Risks & Realities of the Modern Work Surface report, “74% of respondents say that despite their cybersecurity leaders’ confidence in their cyber readiness, the threat of attacks via collaboration tools remains immense, and almost all organizations have suffered a cybersecurity threat stemming from them.”
The Mimecast survey noted that 94% of organizations have experienced threats via collaboration tools. If those attacks are successful, companies will pay the price financially.
“The average total cost of collaboration-tool-based attacks on any given organization . . . [is more than] $574,783 – which includes costs like additional security measures, additional staff, and systems recovery,” according to the survey.
Since the use of collaboration tools increases organizations’ security risks, the need for improved employee training and stronger protection for all collaboration tools are vital.
The following are some best practices companies can take to reduce the security threats posed by collaboration software.
Key Takeaways
- Although collaboration software boosts team productivity, it can also open companies up to security risks.
- The increased use of collaboration tools introduces new vulnerabilities that malicious actors can exploit.
- The average total cost of attacks on collaboration tools is more than $574,783.
- The need for improved employee training and stronger protection for all collaboration tools is vital.
- Reducing these risk vectors offers a number of benefits, including greater efficiency, financial stability, and a better reputation.
10 Tips to Stop Collaboration Software Security Risks
1. Regular Software Updates
Keep software updated: Collaboration tools, like any other software, can have flaws that hackers can exploit. Regular updates ensure that vulnerabilities are patched when they’re discovered.
Automatic updates: Many collaboration tools, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, offer automatic updates. Enabling this feature helps ensure that the software is always up-to-date
2. Strong Authentication Methods
Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Adding MFA to collaboration tools means that your users have to provide two or more verification factors to gain access. This makes it much harder for unauthorized users to hack into your tools, even if they have stolen passwords.
Strong password policies: To reduce the risk of brute force attacks, collaboration platforms should require that users create complex passwords and change their passwords regularly.
3. Access Control
Role-based access control: Collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace, allow admins to set access controls based on users’ roles. This ensures that only authorized users can access your sensitive information.
Principle of least privilege: Assign users only the permissions they need to do their jobs. For example, not every user needs to have admin privileges in a collaboration tool.
4. Data Encryption
End-to-end encryption: Some collaboration tools, such as Zoom and Signal, use strong encryption to keep messages and files safe while they’re being sent and received so hackers can’t intercept them.
Encrypted storage: Collaboration tools should encrypt data before storing it. So even if a hacker gets into the storage system, they won’t be able to make sense of the information.
5. User Training and Awareness
Regular training: Regularly train employees on how to use collaboration tools securely. Teach them the importance of logging out of shared devices and recognizing suspicious activities.
Phishing awareness: Educate employees about phishing attacks because hackers can target users of collaboration tools through malicious links or attachments.
6. Monitoring and Logging
Activity monitoring: Many collaboration tools, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, have built-in trackers. These monitoring tools can show you what users are doing so you can spot any unusual activity.
Audit Trails / Logs: Keep detailed logs of user actions in the collaboration tool. These logs help you investigate incidents and understand how any breaches happened.
7. Secure File Sharing
Controlled access: Many collaboration tools let you share files with others. It’s important to ensure that only the right people can see these files. Tools such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive help you control who can access your files.
Data loss prevention (DLP): Use DLP tools to block confidential info from leaving the company. For example, Google Workspace can stop people from sending sensitive data outside your organization.
8. Secure Integration
API security: Many collaboration tools offer application programming interfaces (APIs) so they can integrate with other systems. Use strong passwords and encryption to keep these APIs secure.
Vendor assessments: Before integrating third-party apps with your collaboration tools, check their security to ensure they meet your organization’s standards.
9. Incident Response Plan
Be prepared: Create a plan for what to do if something bad happens with your collaboration tools. An Incident Response Play should say what to do if a hacker steals someone’s account or if sensitive information is leaked.
Regular drills: Regularly practice the incident response plan with your team to ensure everyone knows their roles and can act quickly during a real incident.
10. Compliance and Legal Considerations
Regulatory compliance: Be sure that your collaboration tools follow regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the US’ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), depending on what business you’re in and where you’re located.
Legal agreements: Have agreements with the vendors of your collaboration tools that clearly outline who owns the data, who keeps it safe, and what happens if there’s a data breach.
Benefits of Mitigating the Security Risks of Collaboration Software
Operational Efficiency
Handling the security risks in collaboration software can improve how efficiently your business runs. Security breaches can disrupt work, cause downtime, lower productivity, and force you to take your employees away from their regular work to fix any problems.
By managing these risks, you can keep operations running smoothly, allowing your workers to focus on their jobs. And ensuring collaboration tools are secure makes it easier for your teams to work together by keeping information safe.
Financial Stability
Financial stability is another key benefit. Cyberattacks can be very expensive.
Ensuring your collaboration tools are secure helps you avoid major financial losses from fines, lawsuits, and fixing problems. In the long run, spending money on mitigating the security risks of collaboration tools is cheaper than dealing with the fallout from a major breach.
Maintaining a Good Reputation
Maintaining a good reputation is critical to an organization’s success. Data breaches can harm your company and cause your customers to turn to your competitors — trust is hard to gain and easy to give away.
Reducing the security risks associated with your collaboration tools can stop you from losing customers because of data breaches.
Regulatory Compliance
Finally, regulatory compliance is critical. Many industries must follow strict data protection rules, such as the GDPR, HIPAA, and the California Consumer Privacy Act, and not following these rules can lead to hefty fines and legal trouble.
It is often a key selling point of collaboration software that compliance is built-in rather than that a company needs to be an expert at all aspects of the law.
By using strong security for collaboration software, you can stay compliant, avoid legal issues, and gain a competitive edge, as customers prefer working with partners who follow data protection laws.
The Bottom Line
Using collaboration software is essential to the way companies work today, but these tools also present significant security risks.
That’s why it’s crucial to keep your company information safe when your employees use these tools. To do this, you have to limit access to information based on job roles and ensure that the employees accessing these tools are using strong passwords. It’s also important to implement extra security checks and keep your collaboration tools up to date to prevent problems that could let hackers in.
Teaching employees to recognize and avoid scams is also critical, as they are your first line of defense against cyberattacks. Additionally, check that your collaboration tools use strong encryption to protect information while it is being sent and received to help keep data safe.
By following the best practices outlined in this article to mitigate the security risks of collaboration software, you can significantly boost your organization’s defences against cyber threats and data breaches.
