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Are you exposed to network edge risk?

Use this checklist to assess your organization’s exposure to network edge risk

There are 17 questions but it only takes most people less than 2 minutes to complete this assessment

Step 1 of 17

Network Awareness and Control

Do you have visibility into the types of routers your employees use for remote access?

Question 1

Yes

Network Awareness and Control

Are employees required to register their home or third-party office networks with IT security teams?

Question 2

Yes

Network Awareness and Control

Have you established clear guidelines for router selection and secure configuration?

Question 3

Yes

Router Security Best Practices

Do you instruct employees to update router firmware regularly?

Question 4

Yes

Router Security Best Practices

Do you monitor for routers that are no longer receiving manufacturer updates?

Question 5

Yes

Router Security Best Practices

Do you provide guidance on disabling unnecessary services like remote management and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)?

Question 6

Yes

Employee Training and Awareness

Do you offer training on identifying router vulnerabilities and applying security updates?

Question 7

Yes

Employee Training and Awareness

Do you encourage employees to use strong, unique router passwords and change default credentials?

Question 8

Yes

Employee Training and Awareness

Do you provide a process for reporting suspected router compromises?

Question 9

Yes

Network Separation and Monitoring

Do you require the use of separate networks for corporate and personal devices?

Question 10

Yes

Network Separation and Monitoring

Do you implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor external connections?

Question 11

Yes

Network Separation and Monitoring

Are corporate devices configured to enforce secure VPN connections?

Question 12

Yes

Third-Party Network Risks

Do employees working in managed offices or coworking spaces receive guidance on network security risks?

Question 13

Yes

Third-Party Network Risks

Do you have a policy for evaluating third-party networks used for corporate data access?

Question 14

Yes

Security Tools Currently Used

Do you apply Zero Trust principles to ensure continuous authentication on untrusted networks?

Question 15

Yes

Third-Party Network Risks

What tools do you currently provide to support secure remote access? - Select all that apply

Security Tools Used

Company supplied VPN

Company supplied endpoint security (anti-virus, anti-malware software)

Remote desktop solutions (i.e. Citrix)

Company managed secure end point devices (routers, firewalls, etc.)

Company-managed laptops/devices

Question 1

Do you have visibility into the types of routers your employees use for remote access?

You said: {Question 1:82}

That’s a strong first step.

To build on this, we recommend:
Logging device models and firmware status centrally
Creating a reference list of approved or high-risk routers
Flagging unsupported or end-of-life hardware for review

Without visibility, it’s difficult to manage risk.

Consider asking staff to self-report router types or using pre-approved hardware for known, controlled configurations.

Question 2

Are employees required to register their home or third-party office networks with IT security teams?

You said: {Question 2:88}

Good approach.

Registration encourages compliance and helps track high-risk environments. If you don't already, consider supplementing this with:
A lightweight review process (e.g. questionnaire or checklist)
A flag for networks used in shared office environments

Unregistered networks create blind spots.

Even a simple opt-in registration scheme can help identify where additional controls or support may be needed.

Question 3

Have you established clear guidelines for router selection and secure configuration?

You said: {Question 3:93}

That’s excellent — most organisations overlook this step.

We suggest checking that your guidelines include:
Minimum spec for routers (firmware update support, WPA3, etc.)
Default credential changes and service restrictions Advice on how to source secure hardware and keep it that way

Leaving this to chance can lead to outdated or insecure consumer-grade hardware in use.

Consider offering either:
A list of approved routers
Pre-configured secure devices that you supply to users

Question 4

Do you instruct employees to update router firmware regularly?

You said: {Question 4:96}

Good — applying firmware updates is better than doing nothing, especially when known vulnerabilities are being actively exploited.

Make sure staff also know:
How to check their firmware version and confirm that it addresses known issues
To review for updates on a regular schedule (e.g. every 3 months)
This said, it's important to remember that most off-the-shelf router updates don’t fix underlying software library flaws, and often miss critical security patches altogether.

Routers with outdated firmware are a common attack vector (even if updates may not fix all their issues).

If manual updates aren’t practical, consider using routers that auto-update securely or have a process for your IT team to take care of this for users

Question 5

Do you monitor for routers that are no longer receiving manufacturer updates?

You said: {Question 5:99}

Excellent — unsupported routers often contain unpatchable security flaws.

Best practice also includes:
Maintaining a list of known end-of-life devices
Recommending upgrades for unsupported models

This leaves your network exposed to known vulnerabilities.

We recommend reviewing router models in use and replacing devices that no longer receive updates.

Question 6

Do you provide guidance on disabling unnecessary services like remote management and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP)?

You said: {Question 6:102}

That’s a key step in hardening network edge devices.

Make sure your guidance also covers:
Access control to admin interfaces
Disabling unused wireless bands and WPS

Features like UPnP and remote admin create avoidable attack surfaces.

Provide users with a short configuration checklist or supply devices with these services disabled by default.

Question 7

Do you offer training on identifying router vulnerabilities and applying security updates?

You said: {Question 7:105}

Proactive and valuable!

Consider refreshing the content regularly (and at least annually) and including:
Real-world examples of router-based attacks
Clear walkthroughs for firmware updates on common models

Most employees don’t think of routers as part of cybersecurity.

A short explainer, video or one-pager can make a big difference, and reduce your exposure.

Question 8

Do you encourage employees to use strong, unique router passwords and change default credentials?

You said: {Question 7:105}

Excellent — this simple step prevents many attacks.

For completeness, your guidance should include:
A list of common default logins to watch for
How to change credentials securely without impacting service

Default credentials are still one of the most exploited security weaknesses.

Include this as part of basic setup instructions or issue pre-configured devices that enforce strong authentication.

Question 9

Do you provide a process for reporting suspected router compromises?

You said: {Question 8:108}

Good practice — users need a clear path to flag concerns.

Make sure the process is:
Easy to access and understand
Clearly has no negative consequences for the person making a report
Linked to internal triage/escalation procedures

If people don’t know what to look for or how to report it, issues can go unnoticed.

Consider a simple guide with signs of compromise (e.g. connection instability, unexpected settings changes) and a dedicated contact point.

Question 10

Do you require the use of separate networks for corporate and personal devices?

You said: {Question 9:112}

That’s a major win — network separation reduces lateral movement risk.

Be sure your approach also covers:
Use of VLANs or guest networks
Consistent policies across home and third-party environments

Mixing personal and corporate devices creates serious risk.

If employees work from home, consider using managed routers that enforce separation automatically or supporting people to set up a work network on their existing router.

Question 11

Do you implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor external connections?

You said: {Question 10:123}

Strong measure! — EDR gives you valuable visibility.

Pairing it with trusted networks and hardened routers provides layered defence.

EDR can flag unusual behaviour, including traffic from compromised networks.

If full EDR isn’t feasible, consider basic monitoring or safe-network defaults via managed routers as anything is better than doing nothing.

Question 12

Are corporate devices configured to enforce secure VPN connections?

You said: {Question 11:126}

Great — VPN enforcement helps protect data in transit.

Just keep in mind that:
VPNs don’t protect against threats from the local network
Pairing VPNs with trusted router infrastructure improves resilience

Unsecured traffic on untrusted networks is risky.

Consider enforcing always-on VPNs, issuing devices with built-in secure connections or requiring users to supply routers that support VPNs.

Question 13

Do employees working in managed offices or coworking spaces receive guidance on network security risks?

You said: {Question 12:129}

That’s important — these environments often rely on shared infrastructure.

Your guidance should include:
Avoiding shared Wi-Fi where possible
Connecting via secure company approved routers if feasible

Shared offices = shared risk.

Consider providing a simple security guide and supplying questions they can ask to confirm the security of the network they are connecting to.

Question 14

Do you have a policy for evaluating third-party networks used for corporate data access?

You said: {Question 13:132}

Smart move — and often overlooked.

We recommend that your policy covers:
Network separation and admin access
Whether firmware is regularly updated
Acceptable use of shared infrastructure

This can be a weak link in your security chain.

Even a lightweight policy can help staff make better decisions or trigger approval processes before using unknown networks.

Question 15

Do you apply Zero Trust principles to ensure continuous authentication on untrusted networks?

You said: {Question 14:135}

Excellent — Zero Trust helps mitigate the risks of working on third-party infrastructure.

Make sure you’re applying it consistently across devices, apps, and network access points.

Zero Trust isn’t just for big enterprises.

Even small steps (like enforcing MFA and limiting lateral movement) can reduce risk dramatically, especially on untrusted networks.

Question 16

What tools do you currently provide to support secure remote access? - Select all that apply

You said:

Company supplied VPN - Great for encrypting data in transit, but not a full solution.

VPNs don’t protect against compromised local networks or lateral threats. Pairing VPNs with trusted hardware like a Loxada router adds another essential layer of defence.

Company supplied endpoint security (anti-virus, anti-malware software) - Strong move, but it only protects the device itself, not the network it connects through.

A secure connection should be assumed as part of the overall protection model.

Remote desktop solutions (i.e. Citrix) - Remote desktop solutions offer some isolation, but they still rely on the underlying network and device being safe.

Ensure endpoint devices are well secured and connections are trusted.

Company managed secure end point devices (routers, firewalls, etc.) - Excellent! This shows proactive thinking about network-level security.

If you manage this internally, ensure firmware updates are enforced (and ideally independantly verify that they are actually secure and don't contain malware) and devices can’t be tampered with by users. Loxada offers auto-updating, tamper-resistant routers if you’re looking to scale this without manual effort.

Company managed laptops/devices - Good baseline. Just make sure these devices only connect via secure networks.

A managed device still isn’t safe if it connects through a compromised home or hotel router.

None of the above

You’re not alone — but this is where security risks start to build up. If your team connects to sensitive data from unknown or untrusted networks, we’d strongly recommend looking at solutions like:
Managed secure routers (e.g. Loxada)
Policy templates to guide usage
Lightweight VPN and endpoint security tools that are easy to roll out

If you would like a copy of this assessment emailed to you or would like to talk to us learn more about how we can quickly and simply improve your remote and hybrid teams' security please enter your email address below.

Are you happy for us to contact you to discuss Loxada?(Required)

Yes

200 Portland St., Boston, MA 02114
P 617 586 1339

Loxada is a registered trademark, registration number: UK00003818128

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