Important cybersecurity tips while working remotely

Remote work presents unique challenges for cybersecurity because remote work environments do not usually have the same safeguards as in the office. When an employee is in the office, their working environment is fortified by layers of preventative security controls. However, when devices leave the perimeter and people go remote, new risks arise for the company.

Therefore, as organizations around the world turn to remote work and learning, cybersecurity hygiene is an important practice to revisit and maintain. Individuals should continue to be vigilant against those looking to steal data, disrupt systems or undermine an organization’s reputation and credibility.

Review and implement the following cybersecurity hygiene areas and actions to protect yourself, your organization, and the organization’s data in a remote environment.

Make yourself aware

Remote work and learning inevitably increases the number of devices and online conferencing tools, like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Slack, that an individual will use on a given workday. That shift simultaneously presents a greater number of potential targets for hackers and other criminals.

Unsurprisingly, cybersecurity firms are predicting a spike in hacks and breaches targeting businesses as the COVID-19 outbreak continues. Even at the beginning of March, security researchers identified multiple phishing scams in which attackers sent emails posing as authorities from places like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization in order to trick victims into downloading malicious software or providing their login credentials.

So what can you do to prevent a cyber-intruder from accessing your data or the company’s?

1. Be on the lookout for suspicious emails, texts, phone calls, apps

It is important to be extra vigilant about suspicious emails, texts, calls, or applications. Cybercriminals thrive on crises, so be cautious of phishing emails designed to entice you to click on the latest and greatest offer related to coronavirus protections, or with urgent instructions posing as someone within the Firm. To help combat some of these issues, pay extra attention to website addresses, and block suspicious phone numbers sending text messages or robocalls through your mobile phone.