As remote working has become a necessity for many businesses, including ours, it’s important to remember some tips to keep your computer secure at home.
Use separate work and personal computers
It’s important to keep your work and personal computers separate. Especially if you have children or teens accessing your computer for online education, social media or gaming websites, you could be putting your data at risk for hackers or computer virus downloads. Make sure to password protect both of your computers and use different passwords for each.
Create Strong Passwords with a Password Manager
Depending on the size of your organization, you may have dozens of passwords for Admins and Users in SAM. Now that we’re working from home, it would be a good idea to take a look at your passwords and make sure that each login has a unique password. If your password contains a variation of your pet’s or children’s names, or the word “password”, it’s time to upgrade to a password manager.
One tool we use at InReach Solutions is Last Pass. It’s a great tool for storing, generating and sharing login and password information, and you can get started with a free account! This article discusses how to share (or not share) passwords for personal and professional accounts using Last Pass.
Be aware of an increase in email/phishing scams
It’s especially sad hearing that scammers are taking advantage of this difficult time to cheat people, but unfortunately, it’s happening. Seniors are being targeted through text messages and emails telling them they need to take a Covid-19 test to get their stimulus money. A phishing email will likely have spelling or grammar errors, low resolution logos, ask you for personal information (including your credit card or bank account), may try to panic you by telling you to “act immediately,” or include a suspicious download. Recent scam alerts are reported on the FTC website.
Our advice? Just delete it. If you aren’t sure about an attachment, you can always run it through a virus scanner. Listen to your instincts, and if it seems “phishy”, it probably is.
Update Your Software Including Browsers
When that annoying “update” question pops up, are you likely to ignore it? Companies like Microsoft and Google (and SAM!) are constantly making improvements to keep your information safe. Make sure that all of your programs, browsers and software are updated regularly.
Secure Your Wireless Router
If your organization has an IT department, you’ve probably already heard about this, but if not, securing your wireless router at home is a must when dealing with sensitive data. Changing passwords, using encryption, and other tips are available here. For an even more secure network, try using a Virtual Private Network or VPN.
BONUS PRO TIP: Backup your files
Even when we take all the steps above, no system is ever totally secure. Make sure to backup important files on external hard drives and/or cloud based services to make sure that you can still access them even if something happens to your computer. This is a great tip for your work related files as well as personal ones. Don’t lose all of your family photos or personal documents - back them up on a cloud service on a regular basis.
We hope these tips have been helpful!