The Remote Workforce
Are there threats to working from home? There are benefits and drawbacks to every working setup. If you are switching from working in an office to working remotely, there are a few things you need to be aware of in this new environment. We’ve highlighted the top concerns below. Let’s get started!
Top 5 Potential Threats of Working from Home and How to Avoid Them
At Home Distractions
The threats of working from home are not limited to all the distractions that come along with it. Whether you have a spouse, children, roommates, or pets, there are plenty of factors that can disrupt your workday. So how do you tune it all out?
Embrace your home office
Setting up a workspace for yourself and developing a daily routine can significantly improve your productivity and focus. Make sure it’s a space that you can sit comfortably in, not get easily distracted, and feel inspired to work.
Working Too Much
Have you ever worked from home and realized it’s 2 pm and you haven’t eaten anything yet? Believe it or not, over-working yourself is one of the common threats of working from home. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you are working remotely, so take the time to check in with yourself. Take 5 minutes every few hours to walk around, stretch, make a cup of tea or coffee. It can really help you come back to work with a clearer head.
Communication Barriers
Are you feeling out of the loop? When you are working from home, communication is key! The rule is to never assume and always send the message or email to confirm things with your clients and or co-workers. Using a real-time application for communication is another helpful solution. We recommend platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack.
Cybersecurity & Phishing
One of the biggest cybersecurity threats of working from home is email phishing. If you are not familiar with the term “phishing,” it’s the act of tricking users to click on an encrypted link or email. Once you’ve clicked on the link, the hacker will spam your account with malware or other dangerous viruses.
So, how do you prevent this?
Phishing tests provide your users/employees with security awareness training. Consider your users as a line of defense in the event of a cyber-attack. Email phishing is an easy and effective way to hack a business. It may seem harmless, but phishing can have major financial consequences. Don’t let an inbox message wreak havoc on your security system.
Social Engineering Scams
What is social engineering?
Social engineering is the use of psychological manipulation to trick a user into making security mistakes or providing a cybercriminal with sensitive information.
Is your business a prime candidate for social engineering?
Social engineering is one of the major threats of working from home today. The average cost of phishing and social engineering attacks in 2019 per organization is $1.4 million. With many employees working remotely, social engineering attacks have spiked due to the lack of in-office communication.
Avoiding social engineering
The best thing you can do to avoid social engineering attacks is to stay educated on cybersecurity best practices. A few other things you can do are creating company policies on sharing social media content, always double-checking facts with trusted sources, and keeping your anti-virus and anti-malware software updated.
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