How did covid – 19 impact working from home cyber security?
Cyber Security risks attacks in different forms and ways. There has always been a struggle to fight against it whether you’re working for a company or just from home in your day-to-day personal life. Since the pandemic working from home has been implemented into everyone’s lives worldwide and has become the new norm. Covid-19 has been such an effect on the way companies operate, now office work is no longer needed and even once, the pandemic fades away most companies will carry on working from home.
However, while it has its advantages working remotely, it does not mean it does not have its disadvantages as it exposes both individuals and businesses, meaning it is crucial to understand the importance of home cyber security.
How do businesses deal with employees working from home?
Due to the pandemic going to the office is not required and remote working is here to stay with benefits simply too tempting. However, according to HLB Cyber Security Report 2020 over 50% of organisations experienced security breaches and cyber-attacks in 2020.
Most businesses are now giving employees the choice to work remotely. A survey has shown that 47% of organisations will give employees the choice of working remotely full-time once the pandemic is over, and 82% said employees can work from home at least one day a week. Showing the importance of knowing how to deal with cyber security threats that come with remote working.
Our Cyber Security Course Practical Experience Programme (PEP) Complete gives you all the skills and knowledge on how to prevent cyber security threats.
How to stay safe while working remotely?
With the rise in remote working now employers need to take steps to keep important information safe and below are some of the most important steps to take.
Use antivirus and internet security software at home
one of the simplest ways of protecting employees while working from home is by investing in an anti-virus suite.
According to sources, the valued global damage to businesses because of cybercrime is around $1.5 billion per annum. These numbers will likely increase due to hackers trying to find ways to exploit people’s home internet and networks and business VPNs to gain access to sensitive files.
These attacks can leave you and businesses in a hard situation if not protected the right way or not been trained enough to recognise the threats.
Antivirus suites do the hard work for you by offering automatic remote work security against a host of threats, including:
• Zero-day attacks (viruses taking advantage of security flaws before they are patched)
• Malware, spyware, and viruses
• Trojans and worms
• Phishing scams, including those sent via email
Make sure passwords are strong and secure
This might seem like an obvious one, however, most people overlook the first step into keeping their sensitive files protected with the lack of a strong password to create the first barrier for cyber security threats.
This can be done by using passwords on all your devices and apps. Make sure that the passwords used are long and strong and defiantly unique to make it harder for threats to occur and it is recommended to use at least 12 characters that are a mix of numbers, symbols, capital letters, and lower-case letters.
In our cyber security PEP, you can learn more about how to keep your devices safe.
Secure your home WIFI
WIFI is something we all have at home and all need when working remotely. One of the most effective ways is to strengthen your home Wi-Fi network’s security. You can achieve this through some straightforward steps.
Firstly, don’t rely on the passwords that are automatically given with what your router came with but to create a strong and unique password and you can change it by accessing your routers setting page by typing “192.168.1.1” into your browser and change the password there, making sure you are choosing a password that will be difficult for anyone to guess. Another great way is to also change your SSID, which is the name of your wireless network on the same settings page to make it harder for third parties to identify or even access your home Wi-Fi networks. Do not use your personal information such as name, home address, or anything that could be used to identify you.
Security threats when zoom and video conferencing
Working from home does not mean the end to face to face meetings and now with the introduced video meetings makes it easy to have normal conversations like you would in person working from an office. However, this does not mean there won’t be risks that come with this.
Due to the pandemic and a rise in zoom video calling an attack was targeted at zoom called “ZOOM booming” In these attacks, uninvited persons gain access to another person’s video conference and enter it to intimidate and harass other users.
Tips to protect when using video conferencing software:
• Ensure meetings are private, either by requiring a password for entry or controlling guest access from a waiting room.
• Consider security requirements when selecting vendors. End-to-end encryption offers important privacy and security – so check whether any video conferencing software you use includes this feature.
• Ensure software is up to date by installing the latest patches and software updates.
Conclusion
As the world adapts to the new ways of remote working due to the pandemic it has been an easy target for cybercriminals to attack businesses through easy mistakes employees can make while working in their own homes. However, taking the right steps and businesses investing in software and training employees with skills can help everyone recognise the threats before making an impact.
