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2nd April 2020 In Business By Francis West

Hackers love all the working from home

The internet era and progress in technology has made it simple for many of us to carry out our regular duties from the comfort of our couch.

However, this luxury comes with its downsides, mainly by way of online security threats. Not only can you put your own privacy at risk, working from home could result in breaching your company security too.

A few of the online threats to be aware of:

  1. Unsecured wifi networks: While our home wifi may be password protected, you may not have changed the default password setting. Hackers know what this and can get into your systems to spy on internet traffic and collect confidential information.
  1. Using personal devices and networks: Many of us will be forced to use personal devices and home networks for work tasks. These will often lack the tools built in to business networks such as strong antivirus software, customized firewalls, and automatic online backup tools. This increases the risk of malware finding its way onto devices and both personal and work-related information being leaked.
  2. Scams targeting remote workers: We are already seeing an increase in malicious campaigns targeting remote workers. What’s more, with many employees lacking remote work opportunities, we’ll no doubt see an increase in the prevalence of work-from-home scams.

Thankfully, armed with the right knowledge and tools, you can protect yourself against many of these threats and continue getting your work done.

There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself while working from home:

    1. Use strong passwords that are different across applications. Unfortunately, many people still use the same password across multiple accounts. This means that all it takes is one compromised password for a criminal to take over all of your accounts.
    2. Set up two-factor authentication. Having a strong password often isn’t enough. Two -factor authentication involves an additional step to add an extra layer of protection to your accounts.
    3. Install updates regularly. Updates to device software and other applications can be a source of annoyance. But they really are important.
    4. Back up your data. Data can be lost in a number of ways, including human error, physical damage to hardware, or a cyberattack. Backing up your data regularly can provide a level of comfort.
    5. Make sure you have proper protection against known and unknown viruses like SecurityEverywhere (www.securityeverywhere.co.uk).  4 new cyber threats are created every second and ordinary antivirus just cant keep up.
    6. Look out for phishing emails and sites. Be alert and vigilant. Common signs of a phishing site include lack of an HTTPS padlock, misspelled domain names, poor spelling and grammar, lack of an “about” page, and missing contact information. If in doubt, don’t click.

It only takes one click to create chaos in your work and home environment. But with the right precautions and protection in place, you can make sure all your data and your clients data remains secure. Contact Francis.W@westtek.co.uk if you have any questions about cybersecurity or working from home for friendly expert advice.