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Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts recommend working from home. As offices are emptied and employees are quarantined at home, we don't need to sacrifice security for personal protection. You can stay safe and connected at home while waiting for the coronavirus health crisis to end.
Here you will find everything you need to secure your home and discover the scams that could affect teleworkers during a quarantine at home:
1. Preserve the protection of your home network
If you work from home (and you should follow this recommendation!), Your home network must now protect your personal and professional life. Make sure it is up to par.
It is essential to protect your router with a password (at least, if you have not already done so). Then try these additional solutions:
– Disable Wi-Fi transmissions (SSID). This will make it more difficult to find your home Wi-Fi network (for unauthorized users).
– Filter MAC addresses. A MAC address is a network name assigned to a specific device. If your router allows MAC address filtering, connecting unauthorized devices from your router will be much more complex.
– Configure a guest network. A guest network is a second network that you can create on your router to allow unusual connections. Depending on your hardware, you can apply different security rules for each network. In this case, secure your home and business devices by applying the strictest security rules and define a more user-friendly set of rules for guest user devices.
– Install a virtual private network (VPN) on your router. If you have set up specific Wi-Fi encryption from your router, you may also want to install a VPN. This solution has exclusive advantages and disadvantages. For more information, see our guide dedicated to configuring a VPN router.
You will find many additional tips in our guide dedicated to the security of a home Wi-Fi network!
2. Use a separate device or account for your work
It is recommended to separate your personal and professional devices / accounts. So if one online profile or device is hacked, the other will remain protected.
If you work with a desktop computer, you may be able to use a laptop. This opportunity is ideal, because this type of equipment will already contain many dedicated security tools provided by your company.
You can also use a separate user account from this device. However, make sure that all the applications necessary for your activities are installed to work safely. If you rarely connect to this profile online, it is highly recommended to update all your software before starting your work. Older versions are often incompatible with your colleagues' software. In addition, you may miss some important security updates.
3. Use cybersecurity tools based on your business
There are many tools that can improve employee safety when working from home. Among the simplest and most powerful solutions, let us quote NordVPN Teams or the IP address dedicated to individuals. Here's how these solutions work:
– Your company applies whitelisting to all its servers and systems. This phenomenon is comparable to a nightclub bouncer – if your IP address is not on the list, no connection will be allowed.
– Using the NordVPN Teams service or dedicated IPs, you can set your IP address to one of the approved addresses. No condition related to geolocation is applied. You will also be able to set up encrypted access to servers / systems that you could only access from your desktop.
Other methods can be applied. Personal tools – from secure browsers and browser extensions to secure messaging applications – will keep you safe. Before leaving your office to prepare for your quarantine at home, speak to your administrator to check whether certain programs should be installed on your computer.
Keep all of your employees connected with NordVPN Teams safe.
4. Encrypt sensitive files sent and stored
Luckily, your company's central servers and networks may be secure. However, when all employees work from home, all scenarios must be considered.
No need to worry: several tools can encrypt sensitive files stored or sent. No matter the geolocation of the teleworker or the destination of the shipment, your data will be secure thanks to NordLocker's encryption. By linking your account to that of your colleagues, you will be able to provide end-to-end encryption for your most sensitive files. And that's not all: NordLocker is FREE for the first 2 gigabytes.
5. Stay informed about cybersecurity and social engineering
Hackers and scammers are not fooled: many companies will promote home telework. These unwanted Internet users will exploit this situation as much as possible. The conversations you once had "one-on-one" with your colleagues will now be written online. These will sometimes be accessible without any adequate protection.
Do not hesitate to learn about the different forms of social engineering and phishing in order to define the associated risks. Today (and more than ever), scammers will try to impersonate your colleagues or superiors in order to gather sensitive information about your business. You will find a lot of advice thanks to the links cited above. However, here are some key recommendations:
– Check the sender. The instant message you just received from your boss was sent by John.Doe or John_Doe ? Which is the correct one ? The email asking you to download an important file was sent by (email protected) or by (email protected) ?
– Do not download or click on anything without verifying that the sender is legitimate. If this condition is met, you will also need to check with your colleague before confirming delicate handling (such as transferring a large sum of money).
– Never neglect each check. If you're not sure about the spelling of your coworker's email account, call them to check. If you're about to download or click on a link in your colleague's email, feel free to send them a message on your smartphone first. This will make it much more difficult for fraudulent messages to reach their target.
6. Avoid public Wi-Fi
To avoid public Wi-Fi, simply avoid public spaces and travel, period! However, if you have to go out, it is essential to take all the necessary precautions, whether it is a question of your health or your cybersecurity.
Public Wi-Fi is particularly dangerous. Indeed, these connection points are much less secure than domestic Wi-Fi. Why that ? Because these sources are sometimes associated with malicious Internet users. Sometimes these public Wi-Fi are Evil Twin Hotspot (fake access points shared by hackers). Wi-Fi is not the only source of danger in public places. These other threats should also be considered if you are working in a public space:
– USB chargers. In general, a USB charger is just a simple charging cable. However, it sometimes happens that public chargers are equipped or pirated with hardware (or software). These can install malware on your equipment or track your communications. To preserve your security, favor your own USB chargers.
– Prying eyes. If you usually work in an office, you may be used to openly discussing sensitive or confidential matters. When working in public, you can disclose this information if an individual is looking over your shoulder. These risks will become anecdotal if you work at home (whether you are alone or in the company of people you trust).
No matter what your job, remember that your physical health is paramount! Public health experts recommend staying away from public spaces to protect your health, we believe this will help keep you safe as well.
NordVPN will allow you to stay safe at home (and abroad) while unlocking access to certain content. Try this service without risk for 30 days with our money back guarantee!
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Note: the “partner articles” are not articles of the editorial staff of French Morning. They are provided by or written to the order of an advertiser who determines their content.
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