Online security was always a strong concern for users even while they were on their systems at home. But, the security concerns have increased much more now since people have started working from home. The work devices that were earlier secured by the cybersecurity protocol of the companies no longer exist at home. It has exposed organizations to online threat actors and the chances of getting hacked have increased.
When employees are working from home or any other remote location, they should pay extra attention to keeping their router safe since the router is the main source that connects all devices to the internet. Some ways in which employees working from home can protect their systems – hence, the company’s assets – from getting hacked have been listed below. Have a look.
- Patching the Router
Like discussed above, patching a router is necessary. Here’s what you need to keep in mind to safeguard your home router.
- Install the updates. If your router is old, it probably doesn’t have an automatic install option. Some routers do not even display pop-up notifications that updates have been released. In such cases, keep checking the router manually to install updates frequently. Another option is to change the old router and replace it with a new one with auto-update feature.
- Remember to check whether the service provider patches the router. In case not, change that router since an unpatched router is very buggy. Therefore, it can be easily infected with malware.
- Adopt Network Segmentation
Just like it’s done in an organization, similarly, it can be done at home. All you have to do is create a separate network for the work related devices. In this way, even if other systems on a different network are attacked by hackers, the work systems will stay safe.
- Debugging and Password Protection
Debugging is necessary for every device. One way in which it can be done is by discarding old files that you do not have a need for.
Password protection involves changing the default password and replacing it with something that’s unique, at least 12-15 characters in length, and tough to guess. Other password tips are listed below.
- Keep your passwords to yourself.
- Don’t save passwords in files that are not encrypted. A separate password manager app comes for storing passwords. Use that app.
- Don’t use the same password. Every device should have a different password.
To sum up, when working from home, it is your duty to adopt the cyber safety tricks that have been listed above.
