By Julius Choudhury
If you’re working from home because your company has moved to fully remote, or you are an entrepreneur, now is the time to beef up your cybersecurity. Exploiting the pandemic, cybercriminals are looking for ways to take advantage of the unsuspecting. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center is receiving between 3,000 to 4,000 cybersecurity complaints daily. Their normal average is 1,000 complaints, making this a huge jump.
Working from the comfort of your own home is blissful, but it can also leave you susceptible to attacks because you are working outside a secure office environment. Unless your company implements a network security services company, you are vulnerable. If you are unsure about how to protect yourself from cyberattacks while working from home, here are some tips that can help you thwart cyber criminals from stealing your information.
Keep Your Devices Updated
Stop ignoring the update software notification on your computer or cell phone. Keeping your devices updated with the latest technology is imperative to reducing your risk of a cyber attack. If it has been years since you have updated your antivirus software, stop procrastinating. As soon as a newer version of your antivirus software becomes available you should update it. The updates likely correct security errors and help detect new threats.
Create Strong Passwords
Using the same password for every online account you have is not a good idea. This means if a hacker is able to crack the password for one of your accounts, they can easily get into your other accounts. Having a password that is too simple is not useful either. Hackers can use password software and if your login is too easy, it will easily be detected. Make sure your passwords include a mixture of letters, numbers and symbols. If you are able to change those passwords on a weekly basis, that is even better. It is true, all those passwords can be hard to keep up with, but you can utilize a password manager software that securely keeps track of your logins for all your online accounts.
Turn Off Your Work Computer
It is important to shut down your work computer at the end of the workday because it can prevent viruses or malware from embedding themselves in your computer. It is also best to get in the habit of doing the same thing with your smartphone. CNN Business reports some types of malware resides on a device’s memory and is erased when you shut it down.
Recognize Cyberthreats
The most common cyber threats are through your email. Hackers may send you an email with an attachment from an email address that looks familiar. Those are called phishing attacks and they steal information from you by manipulating you into clicking on links or attachments that contain viruses. If an email looks suspicious, do not click on any attachments.
Though this is not a comprehensive list, these few tips can help you better protect yourself from a cyberattack in your home.
