Morning Brew: A publication by R.I.S.E. April 2020

Are you Working from Home due to Covid-19?

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM CYBER ATTACKS

By Chris Grounds, Ph. D.

As COVID-19 precautions continue to emphasize social distancing, most companies large and small are requiring employees to work from home it at all possible to reduce risks of exposures and potential growth of the outbreak. However, working from home and accessing sensitive data brings its own set of risks, and organizations such as the Identity Theft Resource Center (idtheftcenter.org) anticipates a rise in cyberattacks on their business infrastructure as more and more employees work remotely. In 2019 alone, cyber intrusions and “hacking” accounted for almost 40% of all data breaches.

So, have you been asked to work from home while practicing social distancing? Here are five good tips from the Identity Theft Resource Center to help protect your business and yourpersonal information while working

First, make sure your computer’s Operating System is up to date with all of the latest security patches. Windows usually auto-updates to make sure you’re up to date; you can confirm by typing “Updates” in your lower left search bar (on Windows 10) and selecting “Check for Updates” on your computer’s system settings.

Second, many working from home will be tying into their Home Wifi. When using WiFi, make sure your Wifi router is not using its default factory password (hackers can easily obtain this type of password). You can change your router password for your account online using your Internet Providers website (or through a smartphone app tied to your internet provider).

Third, although it’s tempting to have one password across multiple accounts, don’t do this! Once a hacker is in one account, they can get to another one fairly easily. How do you maintain a big list of unique passwords without having to remember them all? A good rule of thumb is to create a password that’s easy to remember, but hard to break. For example, the phrase “May the Force be with you!” could be abbreviated to “Mt4sBwU!” and used across multiple accounts such as “Mt4sBwU!my-Bank” for your online banking account and “Mt4sBwU!my-Amazon” for online purchasing.

Fourth, you may be doing a lot of email from home. Phishing attacks (i.e., realistic emails and / or websites that want you to click on a hyperlink which leads to malware) have been around for a long time, and only continue to grow. I’ve personally noticed that up to a quarter of my junk email is now COVID-19 related – phishing attacks try to keep up with current events! Another rule of thumb with respect to phishing attacks – “When in doubt, DON’T check it out”. Instead, either ignore it, or ask someone with expertise in dealing with identity theft to review it, but don’t click on the link or forward it to anyone!

Finally, you will be getting a lot of information regarding COVID-19 from various sources like email, websites, and social media asking to help those who have been affected either directly from the virus, or negatively impacted with their job. If any of these requests require personal data to be provided, it’s likely to be a scam. Instead, help a local business by ordering takeout food, buying a gift card from your hair salon for a future visit, or providing resources to local charitable organizations.