How well is your work from home cybersecurity protecting you?

While working from home isn’t anything new by now – if you and your team had to transition to remote working suddenly because of COVID-19, ask yourself these three key questions to determine if your business is meeting the mark when it comes to work from home cyber-security:

Are you up to date with the latest cyber-security information?

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) warns that cyber-criminals are still targeting Aussies businesses of all sizes through COVID-19-themed fraud attempts, scams and email schemes, leaving many businesses exposed to malicious activity.

As the business owner, get familiar with the latest cyber-security measures and alerts. Consider signing up to Stay Smart Online’s Alert Service which provides simple safety and security information. The service suggests how to address risks and offers solutions to ensure you and your team remain protected, especially when working at home or on a mobile device.

Have you addressed BYOD security for you and your team?

Bring your own device (BYOD) policies can expose your business to cyber-threats. BYOD security measures are key to keeping devices connected to your business networks secure and reducing unnecessary risks. Here are our top seven tips:

Make passwords compulsory on all BYOD devices
Make it a requirement that your team creates strong passwords that are unique and difficult to guess.
Use data back-ups for secure data storage
Provide your team with remote server access or an alternative back-up solution and ensure that data is being backed up at least daily.
Create a recovery procedure
If you ever need to access a back-up, it’s important to know how to restore data. Minimise down-time by getting familiar with your recovery procedure in advance.
Ban non-essential applications
Keep your team members focussed on the job at hand using access permission controls to give them access what they need to work efficiently and nothing else.
Keep your antivirus software up to date across the board
A reliable security application will scan and protect all the devices on your network from threats.
Restrict who can access your wireless and network connections
Set your devices to prompt new users and team members to check a new network is secure before joining it. This way, they will only establish safe and trusted connections.
Adopt a ‘Find My Device’ service
Make sure your team members subscribe to a device locator in case the device they are using is stolen. Using a service that also has a remote wiping feature, so that confidential data can be deleted if necessary, is a good starting point.

The importance of cybersecurity training for you and your team

Empowering your staff with adequate training and support will help your business remain protected. There are a number of accredited cybersecurity training courses you can enroll your staff in to help boost their cybersecurity awareness. The ACSC offers several free step-by-step guides on two-factor authentication measures, portable device security and more, so you can upskill for the changing environment. And if you’ve purchased cyber-security software, many of these programs offer additional training courses, which are often tailored specifically to their product.

Creating a guide or handbook for your business can also be helpful for your team. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman’s Cyber Security: The Small Business Best Practice Research Report and Cyber Security Guide are useful resources to help get you started.

While training and support are important measures to remaining cyber-secure, sometimes you might need an expert to assist if you run into a more complex issue. Consider engaging a professional early so that they can become familiar with your business and understand what your operations involve while things are running smoothly. Then, if an issue does arise, they have the background and knowledge to help with a speedy recovery.