Be mindful of IoT-devices and five more tips to work from home cyber secure

How do you work from home cybersecure? Global Knowledge innovation manager Emile Ramlal gives you six tips to work from home safely.

Sharing sensitive information

In my backyard I was enjoying the sun. However, the peace and quiet were soon disturbed by my neighbour. He was attending a virtual meeting from his garden. I didn’t even have to do my best to eavesdrop – sensitive information fell right into my lap.

The neighbour had no idea he was sharing sensitive information with me: the name of the IT-guy he was complaining about, for example. Does this situation sound familiar? How many meetings have you recently actively attended from your backyard?

It might be relaxing – but when you’re attending meetings from your backyard, sensitive information can easily end up in the wrong hands. This situation triggered me to write this blog: the weakest link in the security chain is often human. It’s too easy to say: OK, then I will no longer attend my virtual meetings in the garden. But danger lurks in more places. Continue reading to make yourself more security-aware when you work from home.

1. Be aware of your environment

Are you in your backyard? On a terrace? In a public workplace? Don’t have business discussions. A name and company name are enough for a hacker to get started.

2. Use a secure VPN connection

A VPN ensures a secure connection between you and the internet. Note: depending on which one you use, a VPN influences the performance of, for example, Teams or Zoom. Most employers offer a VPN solution. Prefer your own VPN? There are plenty you can use in exchange for a monthly fee (e.g. Windscribe).

3. Secure your WiFi or get wired

The more people will start working at home, the more the focus of the hacker will shift to WiFi networks. First of all, make sure the security settings on your router are up-to-date. Think of a strong password for your network and use the WPA2-AES encryption instead of the WEP.

What is a strong password? Length over complexity! Use at least 12 characters. Not too sure about the WiFi? A wired connection is an excellent alternative.

4. Be aware of IoT devices (Alexa or Siri)

Be aware of the amount of smart devices you have. Not only virtual assistants such as Alexa, but also of baby monitors, lamps, IPcams and other smart tools present in your home office. Most smart devices collect data for analysis and data mining. You even gave the virtual assistants permission yourself when you set them up. The question is whether your employer would also give that permission – fat chance.

5. Never just open a link

Check the spelling of the links you receive, verify the person who sends you the link and what the link refers to. Is the connection secure? If there is a locked padlock near your URL, the website is secured. Browsers like Google Chrome usually also give you a warning if you want to visit a website with an unsecured connection.

6. You are the weakest link

It’s not a message for the faint of heart: but humans are the biggest risk to cyber security. Hackers take advantage of that. For example, they pretend to be someone else and take advantage of your curiosity, just to steal valuable information. This phenomenon is also known as social engineering.

What else can you do?

There is a lot you can do, like making your household aware of these risks. Keep your employees or colleagues aware of these risks too.

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