Security offering and Work from Home tips for COVID19

According to IBM X-Force Red hackers, when employees work outside of their offices, away from the comforts of IT teams and advanced security precautions, they may be left unarmed and vulnerable to attackers.

Fact is, only 3.4% of the global workforce normally work from home at least half the time. With hundreds of thousands of new home workers connecting to their corporate networks, have employees been trained to work from home safely and securely?

IBM Security is offering a number of solutions and extended, no-charge access to technologies to help clients alter their operations and security programs to protect remote employees, protect themselves from cybersecurity criminals capitalizing on COVID-19 uncertainty, and address critical security needs.

Work From Home Security Tips

• Only use the tools provided by your organization to work remotely or you might be putting your employer at risk. If you don’t know what to use, consult your IT department for resources.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible. This adds an extra security checkpoint such as confirming a login via password, or the use of biometrics like your fingerprint, in addition to a second checkpoint spanning a mobile or email confirmation.
• Ensure all of your devices are patched and backed up to eliminate vulnerabilities that can be taken advantage of by attackers.
• Be cautious of suspicious emails. Look at the from email address, is it spelled correctly? Do you know the person that sent it to you? If not, don’t open the attachments or links, no matter how enticing it may be. Keep an eye out for spam using COVID-19 to spread fear and encourage you to click links or open malicious files.
• Update your home router with the latest firmware. If it’s been a while since you’ve found available updates and/or you’ve owned your router for a few years, it might be time for a new one.
• Use only trusted Wi-Fi connections, especially if you’re working at public locations like a coffee shop, and always stay connected to your company’s VPN when outside of your business network.
• Use free tools like Quad9 to protect against DNS-based attacks and block known malicious websites through the use of nearly 20 threat intelligence feeds.
• Ensure you’re aware of your company’s incident response plan and that you know how to get in touch with your IT department remotely if you have an issue.
• Take advantage of the cloud when working remotely. Don’t download corporate files onto personal devices without the proper authorization and management tools.
• if you’re using your personal devices for work, make sure to uses your company’s Mobile Device Management solution to ensure you’re staying secure and following device policies.