WFH for Civil Servants: Risks of State Data Leaks from WiFi to the Need for Security Standards

The government has established a work-from-home (WFH) policy every Friday for Civil Servants (ASN). This policy introduces a new pattern, transitioning from physical presence to virtual attendance. The culture of fingerprint and facial recognition attendance has been replaced by performance targets and achievements. Alongside this, risks loom as state data, previously centralised on office servers, now disperses to smaller branches in ASN’s living rooms, TV areas, and dining tables. Alfons stated that these risks indicate the government needs standardisation when implementing policies. He emphasised that WFH should enhance productivity if properly supervised with centralised controls. According to Alfons, implementing standardisation is straightforward. Standardising and securing data is merely a matter of discipline. “Security issues are about discipline, not difficulty. So, it just needs upgrading for home work. For greater security, implement good standardisation so everyone can perform their tasks effectively,” he said. One method that can be applied, according to Alfons, is conducting security audits. Experts in the ministries need to perform security audits on employees working from home. “For example, if ASN on WFH connect to the ministry’s VPN, their data should be checked. So, security issues are actually about discipline, not about which office you’re in,” he said. Another approach is to avoid using obsolete encryption on WiFi routers. Outdated encryption makes data insecure as it is easily hacked. “For connection standards, use ISO 27001, 27701 standards, and for WiFi connections, at minimum, avoid obsolete encryption. Then, devices used for work should not be given to children or shared—that’s very important. Access to important databases must also be protected,” said Alfons.