The Corona virus outbreak has changed our lives tremendously with one of the major changes being people all over the world are now working from home. Whilst trying to remain as productive as possible during this period, it is adamant that you are aware of the security risks that are facing you.

Thus, this article will shed some light on safe ideas of working from home. Here are the top 7 ways:

  1. Protect your devices

Imagine losing a workplace laptop that is loaded with sensitive corporate documents is bad enough. But, imagine trying to explain that the laptop you lost didn’t have a password on it either! Anyone who finds this device will have unfettered access to anything stored on it. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the common ways that sensitive data is exposed. Best practice would be to make sure that all devices are protected with a strong alpha-numeric password to prevent this from happening.

  1. Physical Security

Trying to beef up security around your home is definitely a golden tip. Physical security describes security measures that are in place to deny access to unauthorizedpersonnel. Your home now has become your office and you have to treat it as such. You could install CCTV cameras, security alarms and other physical security mechanisms to secure your working devices while at home.

3.Check for SSL / TLS

When browsing the web, it is important to remain aware that there are sites which appear genuine but are actually impersonators. A genuine website will display a smallpadlock symbol in the address bar, this shows the website has been secured with an SSL certificate. Websites can only obtain the padlock symbol if they are certified by digital certificate authorities. For instance if your business is at stating level with the limited volume of transaction then Comodo PositiveSSL is an ideal choice to secure your business website because this certificate provide security using SHA-256 bit encryption and trust by authenticating your website ownership.

  1. Updates, Updates, Updates!

Updates and patches may seem like a small mechanism but they are essential for optimal operation of software on your device. Early versions of software often have security flawsthat can be dangerous when exposed.They can pave way for hackers access your device very easily.

Additionally, you should always ensure that your device is running the very latest version of any software to avoid inconveniences. These updates could range from your operating system right to your email applications. Luckily, most software developers have an alert system which notifies you of any important updates which need to be installed.

  1. Secure your network

Basically, a network is anything that has a couple of computers,servers and devices connected to each other to allow sharing of information and data. There are a couple of ways you can secure your network right at home. Firstly, you can hide your network name. This will ensure you are invisible from hackers. Secondly you can use a firewall to sieve traffic in your network. Firewalls monitor who enters and leaves the network, this is a major plus in network security.

Also, you can provide a different network for guests. This means you can use the network alone and let the guests use a different one.

  1. Make back-ups mandatory

Losing your work and or data is a tragedy to many businesses or individuals. Whilst working from home, it is as essential to ensure that your work is consistently backed up to avoid loss of data. There is nothing worse than working on a project for hours only for it to disappear! Make sure to save regularly and upload documents to your company server using a VPN if possible.

  1. Beware of Phishing

Phishing is exactly what it sounds like. It is a generic term used when hackers try to obtain sensitive information through deception. The user is contacted by someone pretending to be a genuine customer or business contact and is then tricked into either providing sensitive data to the attacker or allowing them access to their network. This is especially dangerous for people working from home.An attack like this will allow unauthorized access to your company’s sensitive data or networks. So, ensure the sites you visit are SSL secured.

In conclusion,while working from home, the best way to protect against these kinds of attacks is to buy ssl certificate for your website. Lastly, working from home should be fun and equally effective as working from the office, thus to avoid unwarranted panic due to data loss or hack attacks heed the seven tips that have been outlined in this article and you will be just fine.

Stay home, Stay safe!