Cyber Security Tips for Work from Home Employees

The COVID-19 situation has made the majority of employees work from home [WFH] full time. Businesses are looking for ways to protect their sensitive data as well as allowing location flexibility. Precautions at the individual and infrastructure level need to be taken for data security.

The weakest connection can either be an inside threat or 3rd party service provider working from their device using public Wi-Fi. Even an employee logging from their mobile devices using an unsupported or outdated operating system is a cybersecurity threat.

Employers need to ensure that their IT infrastructure can deal with all the remote workers. The management will also need to establish a security policy for WFH employees associated with the use of a personal device for business work and gain access to business data remotely. Businesses need to invest in strong security software.

For example, the Crystal Eye XDR 4.0 intuitively protects, detects, and responds quickly to cyber threats. It fortifies your office computer network to the cloud with several integrated security controls. The program is pro-active and automatically responds to threats before it does any damage.

Cybersecurity tips for WFH employees

Avoid public Wi-Fi

The majority of home Wi-Fi system is secure but when the employees go outside avoids using public Wi-Fi. In public places like stations, restaurants, malls, etc. the Wi-Fi is unsecured making it easy for criminal minds to hack and collect sensitive data.

VPN

Remote workers must use VPN because it will bypass geographic limitations. It enhances your online privacy even more with encryption. Thus your communication across the internet is unreadable to interceptors. Ensure that every employee uses fibernet when they WFH or gain access to business data from remote regions.

Home routers

For home network protection change the home router password as soon as it is installed. Employees also need to ensure that the firmware’s latest patched updates are installed to avoid security vulnerabilities.

Passwords

Never use the same password on different sites because if one is compromised the criminals can hack all their accounts. The password needs to be strong including small letters, capital letters, numbers, and signs.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentications mean an extra protection layer so that even if a strong password is compromised the employee’s account still stays safe. The extra layer can be in the form of a text message confirmation or fingerprint or facial recognition.

Backups

Regular backup of crucial files is a must. For example, an employee could fall victim to ransomware. If a backup is overlooked business can lose all the data. The backup files must be stored in the cloud, so you can gain access anytime and from anywhere in case of a worse scenario.

Firewall

A firewall is the first defense line that combats threats from accessing your business computer system. They create a barricade between the internet and employees’ device via closing the ports to communication. Malicious programs cannot gain entry and thus data leakage is stopped from an employee’s device.

Handle phishing

Educate employees on ways to detect phishing attacks. Keep their minds open, when asked to click on some link embedded in an email. When there is a doubt, check the legitimacy by making a phone call to the email sender.

Report issues ASAP

Employers need to offer a contact number or an email address to their WFH employees, so they can approach in case of a stolen device or detect something strange.