You may work remotely on a regular basis or you may have been mandated to work remotely due to unexpected circumstances. Either way, working from home can feel much different from working in an office. You could find yourself snacking more often, getting distracted by furry friends, or forgetting the last time you put on real pants. No matter how your environment changes, it is important to keep one thing the same: your organization’s security.

Keep your data safe by creating a secure workspace, maintaining digital security, and by following the same best practices that you would in the office. Let’s take a closer look at each of these ideas:

Create a Secure Workspace

Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating your workspace:

• Have a clear understanding of the hardware and software required for your job, and know whether or not your organization will be providing those resources.
• Find a comfortable and private space with minimal distractions. This will help with both productivity and security–you don’t want anyone taking a peek at your screen!
• Keep information safe by putting important documents away, shredding anything that is no longer needed, and by locking your computer when you are not at your desk.

Maintain Digital Security

Here are some ways to increase your digital security at home:

• If you’re using your personal computer, make a separate user account with a password that is specifically for work. Don’t let anyone else use this account.
• If you’re using a computer provided by your organization, only use it for work purposes and never give someone else access.
• Most routers come with a default username and password that are public knowledge. Ensure your internet connection is secure by changing this to a unique password.

Maintain Office Best Practices

Here are some best practices you can use in the office and at home:

• Understand your organization’s work from home policies. For example, if your organization requires the use of a virtual private network (VPN), you should know how to connect to the VPN and who to contact if you have any questions or complications.
• Use a unique, strong password for any website or program that requires a login. Never use the same password twice. Using a password manager application is recommended.
• Stay alert and think before you click! Always be skeptical of requests for sensitive information.

Keeping security a priority while working from home will ensure the safety of yourself, your coworkers, your customers, and your organization as a whole.

 

Stop, Look, & Think. Don’t be fooled.

Learning how to identify suspicious emails is essential to keeping your organization safe from cybercriminals. But did you know that mishandling a phishing attack could be just as dangerous as falling victim to one?

Here are some examples of what NOT to do when you receive a suspicious email:

Do not reply to the email for verification.

If you receive a suspicious email that appears to be from someone you know, you may be tempted to investigate further. Replying to the email with questions like, “Have you been hacked?” or “Is this attachment safe?” only increases the security risk. If an email account has been compromised, the person who replies back to your question probably won’t be who you expect. You could be communicating with a cybercriminal in disguise.

Do not forward the email to someone else.

The best practice is to never click a link or open an attachment that you were not expecting. But if you are fooled by a phishing email and you click a malicious link or open a malicious attachment, you may find that the link or attachment will not behave as expected. For example, after you open what appeared to be an image attachment, the file may open an installer window instead. Another example is when a malicious link redirects you to an unrelated login page.

If you see the unusual behavior of a malicious link or attachment, you may think about forwarding the email to a coworker for help. But, don’t do it! Whenever you click on a link or open an attachment, consider any unusual behavior as a red flag. Never forward unusual or suspicious emails to other users. If you forward a phishing email, you increase the risk of a security breach because it helps cybercriminals reach more potential victims.

Do not mark the email as spam.

First, let’s clarify the difference between spam and a phishing attack. Spam emails are typically annoying or unwanted advertisements. Spam is often unsolicited, but it is usually just a harmless attempt to sell you something. On the other hand, a phishing attack is a malicious email designed to look and feel like real correspondence. Phishing emails typically include a call to action such as clicking a link, opening an attachment, or even transferring money.

Marking an email as spam moves that email, and any other emails that you receive from that sender, to a different folder. This means moving a phishing email to spam would only hide the problem, not resolve it.

What should I do with a suspicious email?

The best way to handle a suspicious email is to notify your organization. If you report a suspicious email, your cybersecurity specialists can assess and mitigate the threat.

Here are some tips for reporting a suspicious email:

• Be sure to follow your organization’s process for reporting suspicious emails. Following cybersecurity protocols will help keep everyone’s information safe.

• If you don’t know how to report the email, leave it in your inbox and ask a manager or supervisor for help.

• If you’re not sure whether an email is spam or a phishing attack, report it and let the experts decide.

 

STOP, LOOK, & THINK.    DON’T BE FOOLED!