Cybercrime is not just happening in high rise office buildings. It’s happening in your home as well, and as more people work from home, cybercrime is continuing to be a growing threat as home offices become more targeted.

With so many people working from home these days, there has never been a greater need for awareness of security risks and how to counter them.

Why is your home office such a juicy target?

Well, for one thing, the tech is already in place. Nearly everyone owns a cell phone these days, and around 75% of people have a laptop or desktop computer at home. That number goes up when you count tablet devices. Of all those tech setups sitting in people’s homes, very few take any serious cybersecurity measures. Whether the reasons are lack of budget or time, many people are leaving their home networks wide open for attack.

The good news

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to make your home office more secure, protect your data, and save you loads of grief.

Follow a remote work policy

If your company provided you with a remote work policy, treat that policy seriously. In addition to general cybersecurity concerns, your business may have to deal with regulatory compliance issues. Failure to follow those could result in severe fines, loss of business, and loss of your job.

Minimize apps that are suspicious or vulnerable

To help reduce the potential for attacks on your network or computers, delete or block any applications or services that aren’t necessary for you to do your work. This will minimize the risk of a piece of software with security vulnerabilities to be exploited by potential bad actors.

On a similar note, don’t download apps unless you are confident they are secure and necessary for your work.

Recognize phishing scams

Before you click on any incoming links, preview them first by hovering over them and examine where the link intends to send you. Does it seem like a legitimate site? Are there odd misspellings or unusual domain locations showing up?

Then don’t click that link.

Consider messages with generic language or filenames with suspicion. If you’re not sure about the source of an email, but think it might come from a legitimate source, verify by phone or in-person if possible.

Make use of up-to-date safeguarding technology

It’s worth your while to install the latest antivirus and anti-malware software available. It may seem like a hassle now, but not as big a problem as having to deal with damaged or stolen data. While you’re at it, set up the latest firewalls on all your devices. Make sure that your online traffic is what it’s supposed to be.

Keep on top of security updates

Software and system developers are continuously working on improvements, fixing vulnerabilities, and closing security holes. When you receive a notification that an update or patch is available, try to apply that update or patch as soon as you conveniently can.

If your software does not send automatic notifications, take some time at the start of each week to see what is the latest news regarding cyber threats and see how vulnerable you may be, then take steps to protect yourself based on that news.

Best password practices

Strong passwords are an absolute must. If you’re not using robust passwords, you’re leaving yourself open for all manner of trouble.

• Avoid using names — even the names of pets.
• Use a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Don’t group numbers or special characters at the very beginning or end of a password.
• Do not share your password with others.
• Do not use the same password elsewhere.

Simple steps go a long way in protecting the integrity of your network.

Be careful what you put on social media

Much as you would be prudent to not reveal vacation plans on social media — thus letting burglars know when you won’t be home — nor should you share too much information on how you’re spending your day at home on social media. It’s really no one’s business but your company’s as to what you’re doing at home, and they’d much prefer you keep it to yourself.

This is especially true if you work with sensitive information.

Securing your networks

Adjust and fine-tune user permissions on all your devices and permit access only to those individuals who need to be tied to your network. Make sure to not only change the default passwords for devices and smart appliances that connect to your home network but also to change those passwords every few months.

Back up your data often

Creating secure copies of your data is less about security, as it is more about common sense. Back up your information regularly — weekly at a minimum, but more frequently would be more prudent. Should you find yourself the victim of a ransomware attack or destructive computer virus, having backup files on hand will save you a lot of time and trouble.

When all this is over…

While the aim of this article is how to protect your data while working from home, eventually you’ll be able to go out and move about the world. When this happens, try not to get complacent. Consider a few simple precautions for outside the home as well.

• Avoid using public WiFi.
• Don’t insert thumb drives into your computer that you don’t know the origin of.
• When not home, keep your doors locked and your computers physically secure.
• Don’t leave passwords written down on papers that are out in the open.

Protecting your data

Right now, working from home is fresh territory for a lot of people. With that come new cybersecurity threats. You can stay ahead of these threats by taking simple, straightforward steps and make working from home as safe as working anywhere else.