Working from home can be a dream, but unless you and your employer have ramped up your protections, it could quickly become a nightmare. With cybercrime on the rise, it’s imperative that you lock down your network access and workflows to prevent criminal activity from accessing your company through your endpoints or devices.
The good news is that there are several methods and solutions available to help prevent at-home work from becoming a risk big enough to put an end to remote work forever.
The Rise of Remote Work
Gallup estimates that 52% of workers today work in hybrid environments, with over 27% working fully remotely. With so many working remotely, the onus of security must be a combined effort. While your employer will need to update their system’s security on their end, you can work to improve security at home by using the tips in this guide.
Start By Understanding Your System’s Weaknesses
The best way to draft an effective plan of operation is to start by understanding where your weaknesses lie, and which ones provide the most pressing concern. If you aren’t sure what kind of threats can even exist when you go online at home to access your employer’s cloud-based system, then the best place to start is with this Red Canary cloud cybersecurity 101 guide, which outlines the basics of the threats and the protections currently available.
For example, here’s just a short list of attacks that could affect you when you work from home:
- Expanded attack surfaces
- Data regulation challenges
- Phishing
- Social engineering attacks
- AI-driven attacks
- Webcam hacking or “Zoombombing”
Better Securing Your Wi-Fi
While you’re working on brushing up your understanding of cloud security and how you might be a threat, it’s time to upgrade your Wi-Fi. Start by changing your router’s default password, making sure the password is strong and unique. You’ll also want to update your Wi-Fi with WPA3 and ensure that the router’s firmware is fully updated.
If you work with particularly sensitive data, you may even want to consider setting up a separate network for personal use or alternatively investing in a VPN to encrypt your internet connection when you’re working from home.
Invest in and Update Security Software on All Your Devices
This should go without saying, but ensure your firewalls, anti-virus, and other security software solutions on your private or work devices are fully updated and configured. Similarly, ensure that the rest of your family have fully updated security software installed on their devices.
Train Yourself and Your Family in the Latest Threats
All the software protections in the world can’t stop someone from actively downloading a virus to their computer. That’s why one final step to take is to ensure that everyone in your family know how to spot a phishing scam and other essential digital security tips to better protect themselves when online. If your kids are too young to use the internet responsibly, then you’ll need to set strong parental controls or tools to limit their access until they’re old enough.
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