Working from home was once a luxury for a few. Now, it has become a necessity due to the coronavirus's social isolation imposed around the world.
But during these unprecedented times, you and your business can be exposed to new forms of cybersecurity risks, which prey on vulnerabilities while you and your employees work from home.
That's why it's more important than ever to start thinking about the security of your home office.
Working from home presents several security challenges that both employees and employers should be aware of. The good news is that by following best practices for telecommuting, most of these threats can be mitigated quite easily.
Check out the top ten best practices here to ensure you and your team adhere to a work-at-home safety policy...
1. Invest in comprehensive antivirus software
By far the simplest, yet most effective advice is to invest in a comprehensive antivirus package for you and your employees.
According to sources, the estimated global damage to companies' victims of cybercrime is 1.5 billion dollars a year. There's a good chance this number will increase this year as hackers look to exploit home Internet networks and corporate VPNs to gain access to sensitive files.
These attacks can leave you, your business, and your employees vulnerable to attacks from ransomware, DDoS, malware, spyware, and other types of breaches.
Antivirus packages ease the effort by providing automatic security for remote work against several threats, including:
- Zero-day attacks (viruses that take advantage of security holes before they are fixed)
- Malware, spyware, and viruses
- Trojans and worms
- Phishing scams, including those sent via email
A comprehensive antivirus suite is capable of combating up to 100% of online security threats and automatically updating itself to maintain protection against new and emerging threats.
The solution also works unobtrusively in the background for other operations, so you can keep working without even noticing.
2. Keep family members away from work devices
While you can rely on yourself and your tech-savvy employees to stay safe online, it's worth remembering that company computers are more exposed to young children and other family members during these times.
So it's worth reminding them to keep their devices secure and not allow family members to access their laptops, cell phones, and other types of hardware. It's also worth reminding them of the importance of password-protecting devices to prevent others from accessing their sensitive files.
3. Invest in a retractable cover for your webcam
Over the next few weeks and months, you are more likely to participate in teleconferences and video calls that will require the use of a webcam.
In fact, many quarantined people worldwide are already starting to find new uses for their webcams, from having "Happy Hour on Friday" with colleagues via chat to participating in language classes during their free time and video calls with family members who cannot visit in person.
But you should be aware that experienced hackers can easily access your webcam without permission, compromising your privacy. Even worse, if you have confidential documents in your physical workspace, hackers can see them by hijacking your webcam.
It's easy to find retractable webcam covers on the Internet in all shapes, sizes, and colors to meet your needs. They are usually straightforward to install, as most come with an adhesive layer that fits around the webcam.
When using video conferencing software, you can also utilize functions such as the "blur background" feature if your platform has it. This can prevent conference attendees from seeing objects in your home, often including sensitive data about you or your customers.
4. Make sure your company's VPN is as strong as possible
At this point, you will likely see more computers than ever connected to your company's Virtual Private Network ( VPN connection ). But this, in turn, creates a series of new security "back doors" in the home office that can be exposed to hackers.
First, it is important to remind employees of the organization's policy regarding work-at-home safety and ensure that they follow it to the letter.
If they do, you can focus on other ways to make the VPN more secure, such as:
Use the strongest possible authentication method – Many VPNs use a username and password, but you might want to consider upgrading to the use of smart cards.
Improve your encryption method for VPN access – For example, if you only use a Point-to-Point Tunnel Protocol, you might want to consider upgrading to a Layer 2 Tunnel Protocol (L2TP).
Ensure employees update their passwords regularly – No matter how strong your VPN is, if an employee's password is compromised, it will make it easier for hackers to enter. This can be avoided by asking everyone to update their passwords to make them stronger and more secure.
Make sure employees are only using the VPN when they need to. If your employees use their work notebooks for personal purposes at night and on weekends, remind them to ask them to turn off their VPN.
Ensure employees are connected via secure networks – While working from home, employees will be using their home networks and Internet connections. Unfortunately, they can also be compromised. Therefore, you should teach employees how to configure wireless routers and personal firewalls and keep home networks secure.
And of course, as mentioned earlier in this article, you should invest in comprehensive security and antivirus software that supports your VPN.
5. Use a centralized storage solution
If your business relies on cloud or server storage, you should ensure all employees use this solution.
If you feel that your employees are not aware of or familiar with your storage service or continue to store files locally, please communicate with them as soon as possible to ensure they are familiar with the centralized service.
That way, if your business is affected and local files are lost, destroyed, or compromised, you're more likely to have a backup of important documents.
This method also means that important documents are more secure as they will be protected by the firewall linked to your centralized storage solution.
6. Secure your home wireless network
One of the simplest ways to ensure your safety and security when working from home is to tighten up the security of your home Wi-Fi network.
It's worth passing this information on to any employee who also needs to secure their home Wi-Fi network when working from home.
Here are some simple steps you can take today to increase the security of your Wi-Fi network at home and protect yourself from forced entry:
Create a strong and unique password – You can do this by going to your router's settings page (enter "192.168.1.1" in your browser) and entering your current username and password, then changing the password in the settings. Choose a password that is difficult for anyone to guess. It should preferably include a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
Change your SSID – This is the name of your wireless network. This information can also be changed on the router's settings page. Try to create a cryptic and hard-to-guess name. Do not use your name, home address, or anything that could be used to identify you.
Update your firmware – Your wireless network provider will sporadically release patches and software updates. They can sometimes include important security updates. Make sure you are running the latest firmware version by regularly visiting your router's settings page.
7. Be aware of security risks for video conferencing
If your workforce continues to work from home for the foreseeable future, chances are you and your employees are relying on video conferencing software.
However, you may have heard that certain video conferencing services have recently suffered security breaches.
The popular video conferencing platform Zoom has admitted that security flaws in its software are urgently addressed. The company's CEO has pulled together all the resources to focus on improving privacy and security. This is due to a series of "Zoom Bombings." When an uninvited person gains access to another person's videoconference and joins in to intimidate and harass the other user (this has happened to many users), if you and your company use Zoom as your primary video, conferencing tool, watch out for these potential violations.
In response to attacks on the Zoom platform, the FBI has released guidelines to help users protect themselves while using video conferencing software.
They recommend:
Ensure meetings are private by creating a password or controlling guest access through a waiting room.
Consider security requirements when selecting vendors. For example, if end-to-end encryption is required, does the vendor make it available?
Ensure the VTC software is up to date, with the latest software patches and updates installed.
Many users have commented that Zoom doesn't use end-to-end encryption, so if you're looking for a more secure option, try Webex, Microsoft Teams, or Google Duo.
8. Make sure your passwords are strong and secure
One of the simplest but often overlooked ways to protect yourself when working from home is to harden passwords and ensure you maximize password protection across all your devices.
The US Federal Trade Commission advises the following :
" Use passwords on all your devices and apps. Make sure passwords are long, strong, and unique: at least 12 characters with a combination of numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters."
They also recommend adding a password screen every time you access your notebook and other devices. If the device is tampered with or falls into the wrong hands, it will be more difficult for a third party to access your confidential files.
9. Maximize security in online banking
If you are the person responsible for corporate accounts, you will need to make sure you are doing everything in your power to ensure that your money is stored and transferred as securely as possible. The last thing you want is to find a security breach on any of your online banking platforms.
When accessing a banking website, be sure to connect via a Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. This means that the URL must include HTTPS:// instead of just HTTP:// at the beginning. You should also see a padlock to the left of the URL bar of most Internet browsers, indicating that the website has an authenticated security certificate.
Remember that scammers may try to impersonate colleagues, clients, or professional organizations, including your bank, to trick you into providing confidential information or transferring funds. Be extremely vigilant at this point, and don't be afraid to ask people for additional proof that they are who they say they are.
10. Pay attention to email security
Emails are likely to become the primary means of communication for you and your colleagues during this period. However, email is also one of the easiest ways to exploit and compromise.
The UK's National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) has made numerous recommendations to help protect staff in telecommuting situations, including the use of email.
Employees are more likely to have their devices stolen (or lose them) when they are away from the office or home. Make sure your devices encrypt your data while it's at rest, which will protect the email data on your device if it's lost or stolen. Most modern devices have encryption built-in, but this may still need to be turned on and configured. If your team is using their own devices to access email and other sensitive files, the NCSC has published individual guidelines to help you secure those devices too.
Beware of phishing attacks that take more and more forms. The NCSC has published guidelines on how to detect and manage these attacks. It's worth communicating these guidelines to your employees as well.
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