Working from home has become the norm for many of us during this pandemic, but for those new to the idea, you might not have the most secure work-from-home (WFH) environment. If that’s the case, you’ll need to find ways to ensure that your network is the most secure it can be so you can protect yourself, your company and your clients from potential data breaches. There are a few things you can do to make sure your new WFH environment is secure, check them out.
1. Encrypt Your Home Network
Encrypting your home network is one of the best things you can to do ensure your data is safe whenever you’re working from home. Without a secure network, you could be opening yourself to a number of threats, which could lead to a host of problems for your employer. That’s why it’s best to secure your network by encrypting your router.
Turn on your encryption (either WPA2 or WPA3) because it scrambles any information you send over your network, making it harder for others to read that information. WPA2 and WPA3 are the most updated encryption standards, so you shouldn’t have any issues as long as your router software is kept up to date.
2. Get Identity Theft Protection
Identity theft protection and monitoring can help ensure your WFH environment stays secure. With a service like Norton LifeLock (NASDAQ: NLOK), you’ll get real-time threat protection that can help monitor and alert customers if a threat occurs. LifeLock offers device security and a virtual private network (VPN) from Norton, as well as an integrated plan for complete protection and privacy so you can have peace of mind knowing your personal and financial information is protected while you’re working from home or going to school online
3. Make Sure Your Computer Is Secured
In addition to securing your network, it’s important to secure your laptop or whatever device you’re working from. That means ensuring it’s password protected and avoiding leaving it in public places (even for five minutes) unattended. If you’re traveling for work and using a public charging station, you might be tempted to leave it there for a second while you run to the restroom, but avoid this at all costs. You should also make sure your computer is set up to get security updates automatically (especially Windows updates).
4. Get a VPN
A VPN can help increase privacy and security by masking your IP address, search history and location from outsiders. This can help you avoid being tracked by internet service providers (ISPs), cable companies, internet browsers, websites and others. It can offer top-notch security by protecting your personal information and other data whenever you send an e-mail or visit a new website and input personal information. So if you want total privacy and protection when you’re working from home, a VPN can help you get there.
Protecting Yourself From Cyber Attacks
For many of us, working from home is the new way of things, but that means we have to be more vigilant about protecting ourselves. Whether you encrypt your home network, invest in identity theft protection and monitoring, secure your computer or get a VPN (or a combination of these safety practices), you’ll be able to work from home more safely and securely.