Now that most of us are working from home, you and your team have probably encountered a few sketchy looking emails already. Although we have covered some phishing tips to help keep you safe (read that here), hackers aren’t limited to phishing. And you better believe they are getting as creative as they can to make as much money as they can. In order to give your business the best fighting chance to stay safe from any of these attempts, make sure you follow these 3 ESSENTIAL STEPS. Ignore ANY of these, and you could be inviting cyber criminals to attack your network and steal your data, costing you considerable time and money.
#1: Use Company Issued Devices
Avoid allowing your employees to use their home PCs, laptops and devices wherever possible, because they are typically NOT secure. Therefore, any malware they “invite” onto THEIR computer can attack YOUR network, compromising YOUR data. Make sure they start with a company issued laptop that features the latest antivirus software set up by your IT provider.
#2: Secure Your WiFi Access Point
Without a secure WiFi access point, you’re essentially leaving a backdoor open to hackers. That’s because WiFi signals are often broadcast far beyond your employees’ homes and out into the streets. Yes, drive-by hacking is becoming popular among cyber criminals today. Here are a few tips for a more secure WiFi.
• Use stronger encryption and a more complex password
• Hide your network name
• Use a firewall and make sure it’s enabled
#3: Use a Multi-Factor Authentication VPN
VPN stands for virtual private network, which is a private, encrypted “tunnel” that goes direct to your office’s IT network. By supporting two-factor authentication, your employees will have to take an extra step in order to log in. This one crucial step makes it far more difficult for hackers and cyber criminals to access and steal data on your network.
With the constant news headlines and stresses of such a challenging time, taking care of cyber security will give you that extra peace of mind so you have one less thing to worry about.
Need help setting up a safe and secure working at home environment, or just want some friendly advice?
Book a FREE 30 minute consultation with our MD Mark Riddell here.
