With the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), more and more employees have found themselves working from home. This puts intense pressure on ISPs and VPN vendors since they have to support an increasing amount of load on their networks. Since we have people who have never worked from home, now doing that, it is imperative to talk about the security measure that they should take while at home since they would not be under the strict security compliance of their companies.
Without further ado, here are some general security guidelines to follow if you have started working from home for the first time or after a long time.
Make sure you have a secure password
Passwords are one of the weakest link between an attacker and your private data. However, until we can come up with a better and universal alternative, we have to rely on passwords as our first step to deter hackers. I cannot stress how important it is to have a safe and secure password no matter where you are working from. Make sure your password is long, is a mixture of alphanumeric and DOES NOT contain anything related to you (birthdate, names etc.). Use a password manager to create a complex password which you don’t have to remember.
Use a VPN for work
If your workplace does not have the policy of using a VPN to log in to internal network, you need to do your own due diligence to avoid introducing your company’s network to outside attackers. There are several paid versions of VPN services (Nord VPN or Express VPN are the best). I wouldn’t recommend using free VPN services since they do not guarantee a private VPN tunnel.
Secure your Internet connection
One of the first things you should do (if you haven’t done already) is to secure your modem/router at your home. Make sure it is password protected with WPA2 encryption set. You can edit these settings by going into the admin page of the router. Also, make sure you have a secure password to get into the router.
Be wary of scams and phishing attacks
Now that so many of us are working from home, several malicious vectors are taking this opportunity to attack people who have found themselves in this new settings. There are several of us who are not in the security umbrella of their company anymore and hence need to be careful of phishing attacks and scams. I have talked about phishing and other scams in a separate blog post here.
Physical security
You should make sure you lock your laptop whenever you leave your computer unattended. This is important if you are sharing you house with roommates or living with small children. Don’t tempt your roommates or family members by leaving your work open. This is true even for the workplace, so it is imperative when you are working from home.
These are difficult and trying times for us. People who are not used to working from home may get bored, irritated and clueless in the beginning. Just hang in there. Take breaks from time to time to stretch your legs and give your eyes a break. If you end up like working from home, this is a good time to prove to your employer that this could be a viable option in the long run!
Stay safe!
Nice
Nice article