5 Tips to Stay Cyber Secure When Working Remotely
Although working remotely was already a growing trend among businesses, the Covid-19 outbreak has forced many office employees to work from home. According to PreActive IT Solutions 31% of organisations have experienced cyber attacks on operational technology infrastructure. Working from home can present new cyber security challenges, here are some tips to keep in mind when working remotely.
1. Use company-provided equipment
If possible, it is better to use a computer that is designated for work and has been assigned to you by your organisation when working remotely. This limits the opportunity for malicious code that may be on personal computers as a result of family use of the device for entertainment, gaming or file sharing to corrupt your corporate network.
2. Use a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows users to securely connect to another network over the internet anonymously, protecting their browsing data from potential hackers. Many companies will provide access through a VPN and this is much more secure than using a VPN found online. If you have trouble setting up your organisations VPN, contact the IT department and they will assist you.
3. Ensure devices are protected with antivirus solutions
Generally, companies will undertake a range of measures to protect computers from malware and designated employees will ensure that are frequently updated with necessary antivirus solutions. When working remotely this is more difficult. It is now each employees responsibility to ensure that a reliable security solution is installed on all devices that handle corporate data to prevent work documents or data getting stolen or destroyed.
4. Use secure passwords
Strong passwords should be used on all devices and to protect online accounts, preventing hackers from accessing them. Ergo Group recommend that all employees should use long, multi-character passwords, and using a two-step authentication process is a great way to stay cyber secure when working remotely.
This also applies to your router login and password. If you have never changed the login and password required to enter the router, this should be done now. Often the default passwords that are provided are weak and can be accessed on the internet easily.
5. Always stay vigilant
As a result of working remotely, the number of digital communications that employees receive increases. This can result in malicious and convincing messages ending up in your corporate mail. Covid-19 has seen hackers take advantage of users concerns and are sending malware through emails claiming to be Covid-19 updates from organisations.
If you receive a message from a colleague using an unfamiliar email address do not engage with it. Read emails carefully and do not hesitate to double check by calling for clarification. Employees are encouraged to be particularly vigilant with emails that contain links and downloadable documents.
Cyber Science 2020
With less than 2 weeks to go until Cyber Science 2020 tickets are still available. This years conference will be delivered virtually and will run from 15-19 of June. Register today at the link below.
For more information on cyber security, check out our recent blog post on 5 Ways Cyber Criminals are Exploiting the Covid-19 Pandemic.