18 Jun Cybersecurity Practices for Remote Working

Even as businesses strive to hire more people and develop business continuity strategies, the workplace is changing dramatically. Hybrid working has grown increasingly popular, thanks to the broad acceptance of remote working.

Employees are increasingly interested in remote work opportunities. According to a January 2023 analysis by FlexJobs.com, advertisements for remote positions increased from 12% to 20% during 2021 and 2022.

However, remote work presents a unique problem for information security since it lacks the same protections as traditional workplaces. Employees must understand several strategies for reducing the risk of cyber-attacks.

Always work on work computers.

Many people who work from home make the mistake of using their personal computers for “minor” business assignments. This is especially true if your work PC is in another room. Such transactions pose a danger to the firm and its data.

If you work for a firm with a strong IT department, they may be running frequent upgrades, security checks, and blocking harmful sites on work PCs without your knowing. For example, developers employ several types of testing, such as SAST and DAST, to determine whether their applications are vulnerable to attack.

Using your home computer puts you at danger of being an easy target since you are unlikely to follow the same standards as business machines. Without the numerous security procedures operating in the background, your personal computer is not secure to use with work data.

If your workplace provides you with remote access, such as Office 365, you can choose to work online. Avoid downloading files or syncing emails with your personal device, since it is always best to keep personal and professional matters distinct.

Use Antivirus and Internet Security Software.

A comprehensive antivirus package is one of the finest investments you can make to improve home security.

Cybercrime is anticipated to cost $13.82 trillion USD worldwide by 2028. This statistic might be considerably higher, given the increased number of hackers attempting to break people’s home internet and company VPNs in order to get access to important information.

Antivirus suites help you stay secure by providing automated remote work protection against dangers like:

Malware, spyware, viruses
Phishing schemes.
Zero-day attacks.
Trojans and Worms

A thorough antivirus package will give an extra layer of security to devices that are maintained safe and up to date.

You might find this article interesting too!: Should I Always Shut Down My Computer?

Avoid public Wi-Fi.

Public Wi-Fi networks should be avoided at all costs since they constitute a serious security risk. If you access the internet through a public provider, you should be prepared to cope with two major issues.

First, other individuals utilize that Wi-Fi network, and because there is no firewall between you and them, dangers may easily get access to your device at any moment. Second, an interested observer running on the present network or another public network where your data is routed can readily watch your activity. It is therefore critical to discover a means to safeguard your work equipment and encrypt your traffic.

A personal hotspot on your phone or a dedicated device is an excellent choice. The advantage of this is that, even if the communication between the hotspot and the destination is unencrypted, you eliminate the chance of being hacked by users of public WiFi. Cellular data may be more expensive, but the potential drawbacks of a public Wi-Fi network are greater.

Another method is to create encrypted remote connections to your remote desktop. To safeguard in-transit data, the connection types used in this arrangement do not require an extra encryption provider.

Keep your family members away from work devices.

While you may trust yourself with your work gadgets, working from home exposes them to family members and small children. These individuals lack the authority and experience necessary to operate the devices correctly, potentially creating gaps for hackers to exploit.

Keep all electronics out of the reach of family members. To prevent third-party access to important information, make sure that devices are always password secured. It is best to use lengthy passwords that include capital and lowercase characters, numbers and symbols. This creates strong passwords.

Because of the many methods used to safeguard the devices, you must operate remotely while using your corporate device. You should also verify that all devices have antivirus software and internet security software to protect against malware, spyware, and other threats.

Since public Wi-Fi is never a safe choice, you can use alternative network options such as cellphone hotspots to lessen the danger of public hackers. Also, you must ensure that your device is solely handled by you and is not accessible to other family members.

By taking such precautions, you may lessen cyber security risks when working away from the workplace.

If you need to set up a remote work station, contact us!