Plenty of Americans have been working remotely for a few months now. A situation that may have started out as hectic and crazy, has now somewhat become settled as our new normal. Whether it’s for using video conference calls, using a cloud service for uploading documents or conducting daily business online, it’s important to review cyber security precautions with your staff. While some days may prove difficult with living situations and family members, it’s necessary for employees to keep cyber security at the top of their priority list when working from home.
Here are a few things to remind your employees of while working remotely:
Be mindful of ‘work from home’ scam emails.
It may be hard to believe, but the situation we are currently experiencing is just what hackers look for to exploit people and access your information. If you receive an email that seems suspicious or is asking for personal information in order for you to work remotely, contact your company management or IT team to confirm that the email is legitimate before clicking on anything or giving any information.
Consider running a phishing test.
Create a mock email to send to employees to familiarize them with different methods hackers might use. One example could be an email from HR asking employees to update their payroll information. This can be the difference of an employee clicking on a malicious link and falling victim to a hacker or an employee who reports it. This will help bring awareness to your employees on what to look out for. You can even add a ‘Report Phishing’ button in Microsoft Outlook to notify your internal security team right away. Knowb4 is a great resource for employee training on phishing scams and other cyber security training tools.
Have your staff take a cyber security training.
Keeping your company and employees compliant is vital to protecting your business. Mackoul Risk Solutions offers a full-service HR Solutions and Benefits department where you can get curated trainings on topics such as cyber security or workplace harassment. For more information on HR solutions or consulting services contact our Benefits department anytime.
Employers should consistently review company cyber security policies and make sure that employees understand and are up to date. Make sure that any updates or changes are clearly communicated and that employees know who to contact if they run into any issues.
Zoom Security
If you weren’t familiar with Zoom or other video conferencing systems before, chances are that you are now. These platforms are proving to be a great tool for those working at home, but they do present their own security risks. If you are setting up a video meeting, it’s best to have a password and a waiting room in place. A password will protect your meeting to ensure only those you invite can have access, and a waiting room will allow the host to let participants in or deny them entry.
Make sure that employees are on secure Wi-Fi.
When working from your own home, your Wi-Fi should be secure, but the same cannot be said if you venture out to a public place to get some work done. Public, unsecured Wi-Fi connections open you up to hackers just waiting to get a hold of your information. Of course, right now there aren’t many options for public places to spend time in, but as things start to slowly open back up, it’s important that employees know this– especially when they may be looking for a change of scenery out of the house.
Consider using a VPN (virtual private network).
A VPN helps protect the data that you send from your computer and the websites that you visit. This is specifically important when you are accessing a public network like at a hotel or local coffee shop. A VPN protects and hides your IP address, so it is harder to find your true location. It creates a safe encrypted connection when out in the public and is used to encrypt data on both the sending and receiving end.
Update your devices regularly.
If you are prompted to run updates, don’t hesitate to install them. The more up to date your computer is, the more up to date it’s security systems will be. Updates are created because new threats have been discovered, so installing them is vital to keeping your information safe.
Keeping these topics in front of your employees will not only keep them informed but help stress the importance of cyber security when working remotely. As always, please contact us with any questions.
