Working remotely has gained lots of traction ever since the Covid-19 pandemic. The gain in popularity is due to flexibility allowing employees to work from the comfort of their homes. However, cybersecurity is the most significant concern while working from home. Here we outline what measures you can take to protect yourself from potential cybersecurity threats. 

Why Cybersecurity is Crucial When Working Remotely

When working remotely, you are more susceptible to cybersecurity threats such as phishing attacks and malware. Cybercriminals are learning to be more adept at using new tools to exploit remote work setups. Furthermore, personal devices such as the ones remote workers use have much less sophisticated cyber protection.

Cybersecurity breaches have a lasting impact on individuals and organizations. They can result in the theft of sensitive information like credit card details, social security numbers, and login credentials.

Common Cybersecurity Breaches when Working Remotely

Remote workers are known to be easy targets to cyber criminals. They are easy targets because they use personal devices to do the company’s work. This could jeopardize the privacy and safety of the worker as well as the company’s information. Usually, in the workplace, the business takes countermeasures against cyber attacks. However, due to the employees working from home, they are not protected by the company’s cyber security measures. Recently, cybercriminals have been calling their targets’ phones to record their voices. They then use the recordings to imitate the victims and scam their families and friends. Cybercriminals utilize new AI technology to imitate people’s voices; this is especially dangerous if your work consists of talking to strangers.

Measures to  Protect Yourself and Your Organization

A proactive and preventive approach is significant in the context of cybersecurity. Here are some things you can do to improve your cybersecurity:

1. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN): A VPN encrypts all your internet data- creating a more secure connection between your device and the internet. VPN ultimately protects your data from unauthorized access and ensures privacy.

2. Use Strong Passwords: It’s obvious to keep your passwords lengthy and hard to guess, but are they really? Making your passwords impenetrable includes regularly changing them and using different ones for each account.

3. Keep Devices Up to Date: Ensuring your software is updated can patch many vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals will have difficulty attacking new software as they must update their tools. 

4. Be Aware of Phishing links: Cyber criminals design phishing links to gain access to your device’s sensitive information. The most common way people fall victim to cybercrime is through emails that contain phishing links. The best way to keep yourself safe is by never clicking on links from unknown senders.

5. Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Two-factor authentication may be bothersome to set up and use. However, it is a strong layer of protection for your accounts. It is a simple measure to have an extra layer of protection on your accounts.

Conclusion

To conclude, cybercriminals will continue to take advantage of vulnerable targets. However, you can take proactive measures like the ones listed above to stay safe. Covering the damage cyber-attacks cause is difficult, so you must prevent them before they occur.