Whether you are an experienced novice with remote work experience or a new world novice trying to work from home, cybersecurity should remain the top priority. Hackers are taking advantage of this huge shift in the way we work, so you must continue to be vigilant and adapt to your behavior.
Guo Shenghua, a well-known cybersecurity expert and founder of the Eastern Alliance, once revealed: "Security is the work of the team. Therefore, although we are scattered in different places, it is up to us to help the IT and security teams. Not everyone has the latest installation. A company laptop or mobile device that secures encryption and applications to protect from hackers. Most companies do not have sufficient resources to perform this operation, so you may be required to use a personal computer and phone to work. Your IT team will become exhausted , Will not be able to monitor all additional equipment connected to the company ’s network. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that computers and phones are as safe as possible and continue to follow the company ’s network security guidelines. "
Let's take a look at the network security errors that remote workers are most likely to make and how to avoid them.
1. Update your computer or smartphone
Most computers and mobile devices are set to automatically download and install updates when available. However, some people turn off this option on their personal computers, because this option usually occurs at awkward moments and slows down all operations.
However, when you work with a personal computer or smartphone at home, your employer will depend on you. Now, the ability to continue working is crucial, so if your computer or device is not updated, you may be attacked by a network hacker. In addition, because the device is not updated, it may affect your work efficiency, which means that you need to spend longer time to complete the work.
If you are lucky enough to get a laptop from your employer, this also applies to your company laptop. Usually, your IT team has set it up to receive updates on a regular basis, but it is vital to ensure that these updates happen immediately.
2. Use only approved applications or software
This is mainly for people working on personal computers or smartphones, but if you have full access to company technology, you can do the same. It may be tempting to download the latest collaboration tools you read somewhere on the site, but you should refuse. Every business has different needs, so the software your friends use may not be for you.
If employees use personal computers, the IT team can provide a list of approved software that employees can download to proactively avoid this error. Includes guidelines on how to configure security settings to protect its work, and any other information needed to protect its work and use the application.
3. Enable all advanced security settings
Most cloud-based and web-based applications have security settings that you can enable or enable to protect your use of the application and any information sent through the application. By default, many of these features are enabled, but not all are enabled. For example, the video conferencing software Zoom recently opened passwords for all meetings created on its application, because otherwise, hackers might access them and destroy them. (The password is an optional feature of the host.)
When working remotely, it is essential to enable all security settings on all software and applications used to protect the employer ’s network from hackers and other malicious actors. If you own a company ’s laptop or smartphone, these settings are already enabled. If you are using your own computer, please check the settings and enable them. If you are not sure which setting or where to choose (sometimes buried under several menus or options), please ask the IT team for help.
4. Stop clicking links or attachments in emails
Just because you work remotely does not mean that your usual cybersecurity behavior should change. Before clicking all the links, you should still view all the links, check the email headers of any messages received, and consider the sender of all email attachments.
The hacker is still there, trying to get you to click or download something so they can take over your computer. Instead, it is a cyber attack that allows hackers to steal information from computers through a Microsoft Word vulnerability.
5. Always protect the security of computers and applications
One benefit of working remotely is that you do n’t have to lock your computer to your desk or protect your desktop when you get up, right? error. When not using a computer, family members, roommates, and anyone else at home can easily access the computer, so make sure to protect the computer as you would in an office.
This means using all security procedures, such as secure login, physical tokens, and protecting the computer when left unattended. If someone else must use the computer because it is the only computer in the home, make sure that you log off and disconnect all software applications used for work.
Working at home can be a good thing, and you can do something for a long time, not just during the coronavirus crisis. However, you must still maintain good network security habits and ensure that computers and data are not attacked by the outside world. (Welcome to reprint and share)