Best Practices And Cybersecurity Tips For Remote Workers
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, many organisations opt to allow employees to work from home to prevent the virus's spread, allowing organisations to continue working while limiting the impact on their business. While remote working does have its perks, potential cybersecurity-related risks might arise from working remotely.
In remote work environments, there are typically fewer safeguards for information security than in the office, which may pose a unique challenge for information security. Companies adopting new technologies and systems to maintain businesses have resulted in issues like phishing attacks increasing during the pandemic. In remote work environments, there are typically fewer safeguards for information security than in the office, which may pose a unique challenge for information security. Employees working in an office can work with preventive security controls provided by the company. In the office, it is harder to make a security mistake. In contrast, when computers leave the workplace and people work remotely, new security risks arise for the company, and additional policies are necessary. Read on to learn more about the best cybersecurity practices for remote workers.
Avoid public Wi-Fi
Avoiding public Wi-Fi is recommended since it entails significant security risks. Without a firewall between you and other users, threat actors can attack your computer from across the room if they have access to the network. Any interested observers can watch as your traffic passes through the current network or any other public network between you and your workplace. Finding a way to encrypt your traffic and protect your PC or laptop is vital.
One highly recommended alternative to public Wi-Fi is a personal hotspot from a dedicated device or your phone. Although the web traffic between the hotspot and its destination will be unencrypted, using a hotspot eliminates the chance of your web traffic being hacked by others using the same public Wi-Fi network.
Use strong anti-virus software
Although Windows and macOS have developed robust built-in security systems, using powerful anti-virus software could help uplift cybersecurity. On top of that, remote workers should also perform regular scans to identify any malware hiding on their devices. The built-in firewall on your routers should also be activated to prevent hackers from accessing your computers.
Keep work data on work computers
It might be tempting to use your personal laptop or PC to take care of a few emails as it might be more convenient, especially if your work laptop is in a different room or low on battery. However, working on your personal laptop could pose a few security risks for you and your company.
Companies with an efficient IT team would have installed regular updates, run anti-virus scans and blocked malicious sites on all employees' professional work laptops. You might have made different security protocols on your personal laptop. Additionally, your company is likely to be able to afford higher-end technical controls than you are. A third party could only compromise your work information if those programs run in the background.
Setup two-factor authentication
Although having a solid password could drastically help in reducing security risks, more is needed to mitigate all cybersecurity risks altogether. Attackers are capable of tricking victims into sharing their login credentials. The best way to protect your accounts is to use multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication enables a one-time password (OTP) to be sent to your phone number or email. Employees can authenticate any login attempts, preventing hackers from accessing their accounts.
Conclusion
Overall, many organisations and employees have gotten used to remote working. However, companies may face a significant loss if they fail to highlight or implement specific cybersecurity measures to ensure the security of their employees' devices despite working from home. It is highly effective to consult professional IT security services in Singapore to protect your organisation from falling victim to security breaches.
JK Tech is a company you can trust when it comes to reliable and efficient cybersecurity services! We offer IT security services that protect your organisation from security risks or threats. Aside from cybersecurity, we provide various IT services, including software licensing, IT equipment leasing, IT consultancy in Singapore, and more.