5 Tips to Stay Cyber Safe While Working From Home

Post-Covid, Many employers have shifted their workforce from in-office to work from home. While this can cause additional cyber security concerns, especially for small businesses without a cyber security department, these simple tips are a good start to IT safety until your company can implement a full-on cyber security plan.

1) Ensure that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is using firewall technology and it’s enabled on your modem. Confirm that you have Internet Security and Virus Protection on all of your devices.

2) Be wary of websites that are unsafe – Be sure to check that you are on secure connections. Look for (HTTPS) in the URL when making banking or providing sensitive information over the internet. You can verify this by looking at the URL of your webpage, which usually has a padlock icon to indicate if you are on a secure connection or not. If there is no padlock icon present, be sure to check for “https://” in the URL.

3) Watch out for suspicious emails, some emails may contain malicious links or files (usually .pdf .xlsx or .docx) that may appear to be legitimate but aren’t. NEVER click a .exe file.

4) Keep your computer up to date with manufacturer updates – This is an important measure to not only improve your computer’s functions, but it also patches loopholes to block hackers.

5) Be aware of PHISHING. Watch for suspicious emails that look familiar, but questionable. If you recognize the name in the email but the email does not make sense do not respond or click any links.

For small business or large industries, having a cyber security policy for your work at home force is an important step. AGB can help consult on your cyber security needs.