How to Work Safely From Home During the Quarantine | Endpoint Security Software

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts are calling on everyone who can work from home. As our offices are emptied and we go into home quarantine, we don't have to sacrifice security for personal safety. You can stay safe and connected while you wait for the coronavirus crisis at home.

Here's everything you need to keep your home secure and track down any scammers that might target people working remotely from their home quarantines:

1. Keep Your Home Network Safe

If you work from home (and you should!), Your home network should protect both your personal and professional life. Make sure it's up to the task.

The minimum will be to protect your router with a password if you haven't already. Next, try these additional steps:

Disable broadcast SSID. This will make it difficult to find your home Wi-Fi network (for those who don't need one)

Filter MAC addresses. A MAC address is a network name assigned to a specific device. If your router supports MAC address filtering, it will be much more difficult for any unauthorized device to even try to connect to your router.

Set up a guest network. The Guest Network is the second network you can create on your router for visitor devices. Depending on your router, you can apply different security rules for two different networks. In this case, protect your home and work devices with the strictest security guidelines and leave a friendly ruleset for guest devices.

Install a VPN on your router. If you've set up adequate Wi-Fi encryption on your router, you can set up a VPN on your router. This has unique advantages and disadvantages.

2. Use a Separate Device or Account to Work

It's better to keep your personal and professional devices and accounts separate. This way, if one account or device is compromised, the other remains safe.

If you are working on a computer, chances are you can do it on a laptop. This will be your best bet as it will already contain all the security tools your company could provide.

You can also use a separate user account on your home device. However, make sure you have all the applications you need to work safely. If you rarely log into this account, it is imperative that you update all your software before getting started. Older versions may be incompatible with your colleagues' software, and important security updates may be missing.

3. Use Corporate Cybersecurity Tools

There are many different tools that can help protect employees when they work from home. One of the simplest and most powerful Protegent360 endpoint security software for Individuals. 

Many other solutions are also available. Personal tools - from secure browsers and browser extensions to secure messaging apps - help you and everyone else stay safe. Before leaving your office to set up a convenient home quarantine, ask your system administrator if there is anything you should install first.

4. Encryption of Confidential Files in Transit and in Storage.

Your company's central servers and networks may be secure (hopefully), but when all employees work from home, anything can happen.

Luckily, there are tools out there that allow you to encrypt sensitive files both at rest and while they are being sent. Regardless of where you work from or where you send your files, they will be safe if you encrypt them. By linking your account with your colleagues, you can ensure end-to-end encryption of your most important files.

5. Stay on Top of Cybersecurity and Social Engineering

Hackers and crooks know that many companies will send their workers home, so they will try to exploit the situation in any way they can. Conversations that you once could have face-to-face with colleagues will now take place online, making them easier to use.

Read about the different forms of social engineering and phishing so you know what to look out for. Now more than ever, scammers will try to impersonate your colleagues or managers in order to force you to abandon confidential company information. You will find plenty of advice in the links above, but here are some basics:

Double-check the sender. Was the instant message you just got from your boss sent by John.Doe or John_Doe? Which one is right?

Do not download or click on anything until you are sure the sender is legitimate. Even so, you might want to check with your colleague before doing anything particularly delicate, like sending a large money order.

Maintain redundant communication channels. If you are not sure if your colleague's account is spelled correctly, call them and check again. If you're going to download or click something in your colleague's email, consider sending them messages first. This will make it harder for false messages to hit the target.

6. Avoid Public Wi-Fi

The best reason to avoid public Wi-Fi right now is that you should avoid public places and travel, period! However, if you must exit, you must take all precautions - both for your health and for your cybersecurity.

Public Wi-Fi is always dangerous, as it is much less secure than private Wi-Fi and is much more likely to be connected to (or manipulated by attackers, as is the case with the evil dual hotspot). Wi-Fi isn't the only danger in public places. Here are just a few of the other threats you may face when working in public:

USB chargers. Usually, a USB charger is just a charger. However, sometimes public chargers can be equipped or jailbroken with hardware or software that can install malware on your device or track your communication. Stick to those you trust at home.

Screen spies. If you usually work in an office, you can openly discuss sensitive or confidential topics. By working in public, you can pass this information on to someone looking over your shoulder. You will eliminate this risk by working from home alone or with people you trust.

Don't forget, however, that your physical health is of utmost importance! Public health experts say staying away from public places will keep you healthy, and we think that will keep you safe as well.

Basic Tips for Working Safely From Home

During the days, many companies ask employees to work remotely. Working remotely can introduce some new security issues, especially for users who are not working in the office.

Here are some tips to help you run more reliably on home computers (WFH).

Choose a Good Work Area

There are plenty of tips here on how to choose a space that is comfortable for you and what you can minimize, but there are other safety guidelines as well.

• Choose a personal space. If you work from home, this may be easier than if you work in a cafe or library. Pick a place where people can't draw "cure". See your opinion on what's on the screen.
• If you're having trouble finding a personal place to work, you may be able to get a privacy filter. This is a protective panel that attaches to the screen and makes it difficult to read the contents of the screen unless you are directly in front of it.
• If you have conference calls or video meetings, keep in mind if other people can eavesdrop even if they weren't available to other people. Even if you are wearing headphones (especially in some cases). Other people can still hear voice communication when dictation. Make sure you are using meeting software with advanced security features.
• Do not allow family members to use your work devices. If you want to switch from your device to the kitchen or bathroom, lock your device so other users can't see what you're working on. Press Windows Logo key + L on a Windows device or Control + Command + Q on a Mac to quickly lock the screen. After you return, you will have to quickly enter it and everything should be right where you left it.
• Use only encrypted business Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi encrypted with WPA-2 is more secure than Wi-Fi access. If you work from home, make sure you are using your home Wi-Fi network and all home routers support encryption.
• If you need to access resources, such as servers, that are on your organization's network, use a VPN (virtual private network) connection to connect to your Office account. VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for network traffic and makes it even more difficult to intercept traffic. If you are unsure if your company supports a virtual private network (VPN) or how to connect to it, contact your IT support staff.

Data Protection

If your device is available or borrowed, what can you do to reduce the amount of data they can receive.

• Use strong authentication to access the device, such as Windows Hello. PIN, fingerprint or face, if supported by the device.
• Now you can think about what passwords you are using. If you are using simple passwords such as "funny" or "password1", now is the time to upgrade to a more secure password. "Length" is more important than complexity, although both have roles. The password must be at least 12 characters long and not in English, as well as in the dog's name. You can use a phrase such as your favorite Lyric song, movie sentence, or poetry to create a long, complex password, but easy to remember. 
• Make sure local drive encryption is enabled, such as BitLocker. Thus, if your device is lost or stolen, it becomes difficult to access local data.
• Make sure that your device has security updates and that you have anti-malware software, such as Total Security Software, running.
• Use a modern browser and make sure you are using the latest version.
• Store your files in a secure cloud location, not on a local drive or removable media. Secure cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive for work or school means that even if a physical device is lost or stolen, your data is still available to you and your company.
• Wherever possible, use the web version of your applications, such as Word, Outlook, or Excel. In addition, you can store your files in a secure cloud location, since when using the web version of the applications, your data remains on the server and is not downloaded to your local device.
• Stay connected with the company while you work with remote contacts. Your IT department may have special requests or create new tools. If you suspect that your device or your data has been compromised in any way, notify them immediately so that they can investigate the situation and take steps to prevent unnecessary damage.
• Now, wherever you are, Temptation can use unapproved funds or store data outside of company resources. If you don't want your job done, ask the IT department, or Supplement your own control route. It is possible that you find systems that are not performing well if you are not in the office. Now is the perfect time to make sure you can work on these issues together.
• Phishing messages and phone calls alert. Criminals try to take advantage and uncertainty by sending an email that appears to you from authorities or company executives to Lure to try to open malicious links or provide personal information.
• Never click an attachment you didn't expect, even if it sounds familiar. Before opening an attachment, you can always check it to make sure you like it.