For many people, working from home can be fun but also scary when you consider you have neither the usual technical support that is offered in the office, nor covered by the security protocols that exist in offices. This calls for one to proactively take initiative to stay safe and protect themselves from cyber-attacks.
When it comes to cybersecurity, it is hard to identify all the loopholes that could expose you. The most important thing is to ensure that you follow the best practices and seal all loopholes possible. Her are a few things to consider.
Software Update
All good software is alive, and it keeps changing every day in response to dealing with new threats or adding new features. This is why it is important to keep your software up to date as the first step to staying safe.
Set up regular updates and if not possible, do the updates manually. You can set this to install during off peak hours so that it will not interrupt your work, but ensure you do not snooze indefinitely.
Strong Passwords
Using a strong password is the most basic way to stay safe and prevent unauthorized access to your accounts. How do you make a strong password?
- Make the password long enough, at least ten characters.
- Avoid easy to guess words or phrases.
- Use a combination of small letters, caps, special characters and numbers.
- Get a password manager if it is getting hard to keep up with the passwords.
Two-factor Authentication
A password is a good thing, but it is only good if someone else does not have it. One way to ensure that you are safe even if someone has access to your password is to use Two-factor Authentication.
A Two-factor Authentication involves using two things that you physically have to enhance security in addition. In addition to a password, you could require a code to be sent to you via SMS or an authentication app. It could also be a fingerprint or a saved token.
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This ensures that whoever hacks your password will not successfully manage to log into your platforms unless they can also get access to the second factor, thus making it harder for attackers.
Secure Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi forms a major gateway where we can connect to the rest of the world. Your home router needs to be secured in a similar way that you secure your house from the outside world. Here is what you can do:
- Always have a password for your WiFi network.
- Ensure that the router is not using the default email and password.
- Avoid public WiFi networks. You can never be sure who is listening sniffing the information passing through the network.
- If you are using a router that you bought in 1999, it is time to replace it. This way you will benefit from newer technologies and features meant to make you more secure.
Conclusion
As you may have noted, the considerations above are neither exhaustive and nor are they only meant for working from home. These are basic step for cyber hygiene whether you are working from home or from the office. With these in place, you will be protected from most common cyber attacks that target people online.
