The following tips have been collected over the last two weeks from cybersecurity professionals, IT teams and business continuity experts. We can't prevent hackers from trying to breach our systems or inject ransomware into our networks, however the following tips can help make it more difficult for them to disrupt our work from home.
We share this in an effort to help everyone be cyber-safe during this challenging time.
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Cyber-safety is everyone’s responsibility and increased diligence is particularly important while working remotely. At a time when scams & phishing are at an all-time high, everyone has a role to ensure our business and personal assets stay safe.
- When in doubt, throw it out - Do not click on links or files in emails that you are not 100% sure of. If email is from someone you know, confirm on a separate channel (phone, text, or other means) that it was from them.
- Change your home WiFi password (and use a strong password) - This is a good routine practice to ensure only needed devices are connected.
- Try to perform all work duties while connected to VPN - This ensures more secure, encrypted network & internet traffic.
- Lock your computer when you walk away - Do not share your business computer with family members. Ensure a screensaver with password lock after 10 mins (max).
- Do not write passwords down - Make sure you are using a secure password manager.
- Shut your computer down fully - Good habit to do at the end of your workday (rather than “sleep”).
- Allow system updates to be installed as soon as possible - These contain important security patches for your operating system, anti-virus, and other software.
- Ensure your hard drive is encrypted - So no one will be able to access the files if your computer is lost or stolen.
- Do not retain any business files on your computer’s local drive - Ensure all is saved to your business file share.
- “If you see something, say something” - Notify immediately if you notice something suspicious. Timeliness could be of essence.
We're always on the lookout tips and best practices to share with our clients and the public. Please contact us with anything you're doing to protect your workforce and we'll share them here.
Stay safe and secure!
