With the coronavirus wreaking havoc on communities all around the world, several firms have established work-from-home rules. Working from home is unfamiliar, if not intimidating, to many of you. Furthermore, you may be working in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar technologies and networks, exposing yourself to increased cyber risks.
Working from home or a distant location provides both problems and possibilities. Fortunately, there are five easy — yet important — measures you can take to guarantee you can work safely from home. Here are five tried-and-true techniques to help you work from home successfully. These recommendations are applicable whether you are working remotely due to difficult circumstances or a home-based worker.
1. Trust your instincts
Above all, do not forget that technology cannot completely protect you - you are your greatest protection. Cyber thieves have found that targeting you, not your computer or another device, is the easiest way to get what they want. These are called social engineering attacks.
If an attacker wants your password, work data, or control over your computer, the attacker will implant a sense of urgency in you and try to convince them to pass it on to you. For example, a message masquerading as Microsoft's technical support may be sent, indicating that the computer is compromised and immediate computer access is required. Alternatively, you can click the link to verify your address and send a mail stating that your luggage cannot be delivered unless you disable access to your computer.
The most common symptoms of social engineering attacks include:
Urgency: A person who gives a strong sense of urgency due to fear, intimidation crisis, or critical period. Cyber attackers are skilled at sending convincing communications that look like reputable organizations like banks, governments, and international organizations.
Policies: A proposal that pressures you to evade or ignore security policies and procedures or that seems too good to be true (no, you won't win the lottery!).
Contacts: Contacts from friends or colleagues do not contain signatures, tones of voice, or expressions.
2. Secure your home’s wireless network
A wireless (or WiFi) network is the foundation of almost all home networks. This is what connects all of your gadgets to the Internet. The majority of home wireless networks are managed by your Internet router or a specialized wireless access point. In either case, they function by transmitting the wireless signal to which your device is connected. Do the following to protect your wireless network:
Change the administrator's default password. An administrator account enables you to customize your wireless network settings. An attacker can readily learn the manufacturer's default password.
Allow only those you trust to connect to your network. To accomplish this, enable enhanced network security, which needs a password for anybody connecting to your wireless network. Once logged in, it will encrypt their activities.
Create a secure password. Everyone who connects to your wireless network should use a strong password distinct from the administrator password. Remember that because passwords are stored and remembered, you only need to enter your password once for each device.
Do you have any questions on how to carry out these steps? Check with your ISP, their website, the paperwork that came with your wireless access point, or the website of your provider.
3. Create a strong passphrase
When a website asks you to establish a password, make it strong and unique. A good password is lengthy; the more characters it contains, the more secure it is. This is why we propose that you make a single pass by just utilizing a succession of easy-to-remember phrases, such as "beehoneybourbon." Make careful you use a unique password for each device or online account.
Finally, wherever feasible, activate two-step verification (also known as two-factor or multi-factor authentication). Two-step verification is arguably the essential step you can take to secure your online accounts, and it's easier than you think. It utilizes your password, but it also includes a secondary step, such as a code texted to your smartphone or an app that creates the code for you.
4. Ensure your devices, programs, and apps are running the latest version of the software
Cyber attackers are always looking for new software vulnerabilities, and when they find out, they will use special programs to exploit them and invade the equipment you are using. At the same time, companies that develop software are working hard to fix their products by issuing software updates.
Ensuring that the latest software updates are installed immediately will make it more difficult to be hacked by others. To stay up-to-date, enable automatic updates whenever possible. This rule applies to almost any connected technology, including connected TVs, baby monitors, security cameras, home routers, game consoles, and even your car.
5. Don’t let anyone else use your work devices
In the office, one thing you may not have to worry about is that children, guests, or other family members will interrupt your work or use your laptop or other equipment.
Make sure that your family and friends understand that they cannot use your work device because they may accidentally delete or modify information, or worse, accidentally infect the device.
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