Cybersecurity for the home office

Now more than ever, companies are facing new and unique security challenges to support their “home office” workforce. Cyber security plays an increasingly central role. Christian Brennsteiner, SPAR ICS Cyber Security Officer, and his team established, some years ago, a suite of online security standards, processes and security awareness trainings, which have formed the basis of the SPAR ICS daily approach to protecting the company and our team members against cyber-crime.

Here are some tips for digital security while working remotely:

1. Read, don’t Click! Phishing e-mails are increasing in times of crisis. Think twice before you click on an email attachment or link.
2. Keep your equipment up to date. Install the latest virus software on your equipment.
3. Protect your home WLAN with a password. Make sure that your password is strong and hard to hack. 
4. Watch Out for new Apps. Do not install applications on your work computer or smartphone that are not needed for your daily work.
5. Protect data. Only use company provided or approved equipment for work, and store all confidential data in your company's central IT storage or document management system rather than locally.
6. Lock your laptop. Whenever you leave your laptop unattended, lock it. e.g. on Windows, simply press Windows+L.
7. Encrypt data. When sending sensitive or confidential over the internet, encrypt it using your Email encryption functionality.
8. Secure your online meetings. When meeting with colleagues and business partners online, use only company provided and approved videoconference systems.
9. Use a VPN to access the corporate network and its applications.
10. If you think something is suspicious, or not quite right, talk to your supervisor about it. An additional set of eyes and ears can often see more.

Finally, be aware that cyber criminals will try to gain your trust by impersonating reputable sources (such as health authorities). Staying on your toes will help you identify and avert potential dangers.