Data Protection – Our Advice For Working From Home Safely

Since telework is developing rapidly today, professional data security is a more pressing issue every day. These few tips will help you work remotely from home without risk.

Protect Network Access

Most teleworkers use WiFi, so there is a need to protect network access effectively. Unfortunately, this type of connection is not the most secure today for protecting personal data. To avoid any intrusion into your computer, it is essential to set up a secure password., which you can regularly change. Ideally, this password should be 12 characters long and include numbers, letters, and special characters. Specialized software such as LastPass, Dashlane, or Keeper now makes it possible to find, manage and save secure passwords. To best ensure cybersecurity, avoid connecting to the Internet via a public WiFi network, which is particularly exposed to attacks.
If the company does not offer one, using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) also proves to be an attractive solution to protect the exchange of information. This virtual private network makes it possible to hide the IP address and encrypt the data during authentication, for example. Filtering by MAC address (Media Access Control) offers the advantage of only allowing network access to a limited number of devices.

Update Your Computer

Viruses and other malicious software take advantage of the vulnerabilities of our computers to enter their systems. This is why updating your equipment as regularly as necessary through the computer’s operating system (OS) or specialized software is essential. Windows and Mac OS, of course, regularly offer these updates free of charge. Depending on the OS system preferences, they may be downloaded manually or automatically. Companies must make employees aware of this practice as much as possible.
Also, remember to acquire an effective antivirus, which you will also remember to update frequently. Some are free; others are paid. If the level of protection offered by these 2 solutions does not vary drastically, paid antiviruses always offer additional features, such as WiFi security alerts, ransomware removal (extortion software), hard disk cleaning, or protection against phishing (phishing of personal data). Among paid antiviruses, Norton, Kaspersky, and Bitdefender is the reference.
Particular attention will be paid to the data security of Windows computers. Due to its popularity, this operating system is much more subject to computer attacks than Mac OS.

Adopt Good Practices Daily

The GDPR recommends a few rules to ensure the computer security of your professional tools, whether remote or face-to-face.
Remember to lock your computer when you are away to limit the risk of someone accessing your data.
Avoid working in public places without screensavers, especially when handling sensitive data. Visual piracy is a very real phenomenon. According to a study, 87% of respondents had already noticed furtive glances at their screen from strangers in a public work situation1.
Back up your data daily via a USB drive, external hard drive, or secure cloud service. If you were to be the victim of a cyber-attack, this data would thus remain perfectly protected.
Separate the private and professional spheres, avoiding using the computer for personal purposes (shopping, Facebook, Twitter, other social networks, sports sites, etc.). Today there are nearly 2 billion websites, and not all offer the same security guarantees. The presence of a padlock or the mention of “https” at the beginning of the URL generally guarantees a high level of security.
Beware of suspicious emails; do not click links without checking where they redirect. Email providers rightly ask for your permission to download attachments. In some cases, they may contain malware harmful to your computer3, especially in .rar and .zip archives or Microsoft Office documents.
If you have any doubts about the security of your connection, do not hesitate to inform your supervisor or contact your company’s IT manager.