Always be suspicious of links

Cyber-crime is constantly evolving and shows no signs of slowing down during our current pandemic, which means we must all stay vigilant and exercise caution before clicking on any links we receive. Even if a link is from a legitimate-looking email address, check before clicking on it, as you can hover over it with your cursor to view the URL. If you have any concerns, alert your security team. In particular, watch out for 'working from home' scams, where fake websites offer 'home testing' kits or – in certain cases – cures for COVID-19. Avoid these at all costs, in order to keep both your personal bank account and your organisation's network secure.

Stay smart when sharing documents

When connecting to your company network from home, it's important that you ensure all the same security measures that would be utilised in the office are still in place, with all communications properly encrypted. Your IT team should always have an established set of procedures and tools for securely sharing documents – especially those that contain sensitive data – so be sure to revise this if you haven't already and avoid using any third-party platforms for this purpose. 

Lock your device!

Most professionals are already familiar with best practice whenever it comes to leaving devices unattended in the workplace, and in our current lockdown, it's unlikely any of us will accidentally leave work devices on public transport. But it's' essential that we do not let those practices slip while we're working from home. We've all heard funny stories in the news about when children get access to their parents' phones, but when our devices are connected to our business networks, it's important that they're 100% inaccessible to everyone except us. Even something as simple as a family member clicking on an unsecure website could lead to a costly security breach.

A secure VPN

Virtual Private Networks have long been the benchmark solution for remote working, but with the spread of COVID-19, we are seeing companies moving from maintaining a few VPN licenses for specific instances to deploying them for their whole workforce. However, there's a good reason for this – if implemented correctly, it maximises security by encrypting all data you send through your company network. While you may require a cloud-based solution for specific applications, a quality VPN is an intelligent foundation for your day-to-day work.

A password manager

It's no secret that reusing passwords across different platforms presents a great risk of cyber criminals accessing corporate systems through guesswork. Nonetheless, it's still tempting for employees to do so due to the difficulty in keeping track of large numbers of unique passwords, especially when they need to be regularly updated, in line with internal security protocols. Fortunately, a password manager tool which integrates with your web browser makes it easy to keep your passwords secure, while still ensuring they are available when you need them. Ask your IT team if they recommend a specific one.

Automated backups

External backups are a key part of any effective business continuity and disaster recovery strategy, which should still be the case when you're working from home rather than the office. Your company is likely to have a system in place for this, particularly if you have already adopted a cloud-based strategy, so ensure you follow all guidelines when you begin remote working.

The right WFH solution

One of the biggest obstacles to remote working in the past has been the need to maintain continuity with existing business processes and systems, ensuring work can be conducted as normal, without compromising either security or efficiency. Fortunately, there are several ways of doing this, but it's important to be conscious of security when using such solutions, and always use the one recommended by your IT team. A proven, trusted platform like Exponential-e's Working from Home solution is ideal, allowing teams to continue using your company's preferred tools as normal, regardless of where they are logging on from. This will ensure a smooth transition to remote working for the entire workforce.

Two-factor or multi-factor authentication

Related to the above, two-factor or multi-factor authentication provides an extra level of peace of mind, by creating an extra obstacle for cyber criminals, even if one of your passwords is compromised. As password theft measures have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, this is no longer a 'nice to have' measure - it should be a standard part of your remote working systems and wider security policies.

Effective anti-virus protection

Viruses continue to evolve on a near-daily basis, and which means a robust anti-virus solution should still be your first line of defence and may even give you time to secure your infrastructure in the event of a password being compromised. Make sure an industry-standard solution is installed on all your devices and enable automatic updates.

Be prepared

If you're new to remote working, don't go in blind. Take the time to re-familiarise yourself with your company's security policies (particularly any new ones for home workers) and be sure to attend any training sessions that are on offer (as many organisations are rolling out remote training sessions for home workers, there are no excuses!). This will make the transition far smoother and allow you to stay focused on your work.

Secure your router

At Exponential-e, we always say that 'your Cloud is only as good as your network'. In the same way, your remote working solution is only as good as your router. As above, make sure its password is secure (especially if you've never changed its pre-set password!) and take any recommended security measures, both from your network provider and your IT team.

Check your passwords

This is a familiar refrain in the world of data security, but it always bears repeating. Familiarise yourself with current best practice regarding password creation (there are plenty of useful resources available online for this) and avoid reusing passwords. While memorising multiple passwords for each platform you use for work is certainly inconvenient, there are many excellent password manager tools available. Ask your IT team which one they would recommend, as your company may already require employees to use a specific one.

Enable updates

We all know how irritating requests to install updates on our personal devices can be, but in our current climate, it's more important than ever. More than just keeping your own devices secure, a single instance of malware could bring down your entire company network, so don't take any chances. Ensure you install all recommended updates, or – better yet – enable automatic updates. This will ensure your devices are always protected against the latest security threats.