Cybersecurity Best Practices for Remote Employees

Work-from-Home Cybersecurity Tips Amid COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected individuals and businesses across the world. The rapid increase in work-at-home employees has necessitated businesses - almost overnight - to take preventative actions to protect their corporate networks.

Here are some suggested best practices that both companies and their employees should follow to keep data and devices safe in a ‘working-from-home” environment:

Remote Work Cybersecurity: Best Practices for Protecting Your Business Network

1. PC/Laptop Software Attributes: Ensure the following:

• The operating system Windows 8 and above
• The OS is set to automatically install updates
• The Internet browser is updated to the latest version, and future updates are installed immediately
• Anti-virus is installed and scanning daily (Windows Defender, Norton, Sophos, etc.)
• Automatic lockout after 15 minutes of inactivity is enabled

2. Virtual Private Network (VPN): Utilize a VPN solution rather than a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)/ remote-desktop solution (TeamViewer, LogMeIn, etc.). Most modern firewalls are capable of provisioning secure VPN accounts.

3. Complex Passwords: All remote access accounts should have 15+ character passwords with numerical and special character complexity requirements.

4. Updated Remote Desktop: If you are using remote desktop software (such as TeamViewer, LogMeIn, NinjaRMM, or a similar platform), ensure that the application is appropriately up-to-date/patched and that it also uses 15+ character passwords with numeral and special character complexity requirements.

5. Multi-Factor Authentication: Ensure that multi-factor authentication (MFA) is available and enabled for all remote access accounts.

6. Internet Connectivity: Advise employees to only utilize the WiFi network that they know, and to avoid public WiFi networks, particularly when working with customers or other sensitive data.

7. Secure File Sharing: Avoid non-secure/non-corporate managed file sharing services.

8. Encrypted Messaging: Ensure chat/IM systems (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, or Slack) encrypt messages in transit and at rest.

Keep in mind that these best practices are just a start to help an organization safely transition employees to remote work and keep the business running smoothly. This list represents a few among many cybersecurity solutions best practiced for remote access. For best results, all access control concerns should be rigorously evaluated by experienced and credentialed cybersecurity practitioners/consultants. As always, the Advantage team of experts is available to help.