In the face of COVID 19 outbreak, many companies have asked their workers to work from home. This can be justified as staying home minimizes the risk of catching and transmitting the virus while you can continue with your job. But there is a huge difference between working from home and working at the office. This is because of the working environment at the workplace and the relaxing atmosphere prevailing at the home.
While productivity can be the most discussed thing in such a scenario, we should not sideline cybersecurity. After all, you are working from home where you are not protected by robust antivirus or other measures compared to the workplace. Meanwhile, unless you’re the boss, the system admin is less likely to visit your place to work over your cybersecurity. If sensitive information leaks from your personal computer, it can affect your job with that organization.
Therefore, it is important to maintain cybersecurity when working remotely. Here’s how…
Investing in a Good Antivirus Solution:
At your workplace, you might have powerful security measures to prohibit unauthorized downloads and restricting online access from unsafe devices. At home, it is challenging to get that level of protection, but leaving your PC prone to the risk is also a no-no because a stolen document or damaged data can lead to a big loss.
To prevent such incidents, you must install an efficient security solution on all devices containing your business data. If your budget doesn’t allow it, go for a free antivirus. Or some antiviruses are affordable. It will reduce the risk of getting infected.
Update Your Software and OS:
Software and OS are vulnerable to the new risks being leveraged by the cybercriminals. Therefore, make sure to update everything installed on your computer and other devices being used for work.
Encrypting Wi-Fi:
Even the best security measures can’t work unless your Wi-Fi is secure. An attacker can connect to your Wi-Fi to figure out everything you send or enter online, including passwords for remote access to office server or corporate mail. That’s why it is downright essential to configure your network connection.
The connection should be encrypted. Make sure your Wi-Fi asks for a password when a new device is connected to it. WPA2 is the best encryption Wi-Fi standard. Make sure to keep your Wi-Fi password strong.
Also, change the default login and password of your router.
Using VPN for Unfamiliar Wi-Fi Networks:
If you are using the Internet connection that is not belonging to you, such as Wi-Fi from a restaurant or your neighbour network that is not secured with a password, be extra careful. Public Wi-Fi networks are unencrypted and anyone can use them.
Use a VPN or a virtual private network to prevent the risk. A VPN can encrypt your data, meaning that no one can decode it.
Watching Out for Email Phishing:
Don’t click on suspicious emails or anything sent by an unknown sender. For example, a malicious sender can pose as a bank or even your boss to trick you into giving details. Such emails generally ask you for sharing data, credentials or payment. Make sure to contact the person on whose name the mail is delivered.
Protecting Your Passwords:
Well, this is no brainer. However, not all people are serious about their passwords. For example, they choose passwords like 1,2,3,4 or ABCD or even their date of birth, making it easy for a hacker to crack them. Make sure that your password is the combination of alphabets, numerical, and special characters.
To have a further understanding of the topic you may refer to our mainstream blog.
So these are some cybersecurity tips to remote workers to protect your data while working from home. For more information or if you need and further assistance you can visit us.
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