S Thapar

Cyber Security Month 2020 was always going to be different to the previous IT security awareness months, the world has changed so much over the last 12 months, in some ways it is almost unrecognisable. Since the beginning of the year, many things have slowed down due to the worldwide pandemic, but unfortunately the world of malicious internet use, phishing and hacking has continued to evolve and develop at breakneck speeds.

I believe the main difference this year is, with many of us in the fortunate situation to be able to work from home, we are no longer under the protection of the ‘invisible IT security blanket’ that we assume covers us whilst in the office. There is some truth to this as whilst working from home, employees are now using their home internet connections, as opposed to their in-office firewalled network, and no longer have an immediate physical IT team present (e.g. Chris can you come have a look at this for me, it looks dodgy…). With this in mind, here are my top three tips for IT Security whilst working from home in 2020.

• Stay up to date – I cannot stress this point enough, keeping your computer up to date with the latest security patches from Windows has always been important, and now even more so with everyone working from home. Many organisations have it as ‘group’ policy that computers are updated, but when outside of the building, it is harder for this policy to be automatically implemented. Therefore, my number one tip is to press the windows button on your keyboard, start typing “check for updates” select that option and hit check now (I would advise doing that at least twice a month!). By keeping your Windows and Anti-Virus package up to date, you are fighting a good percentage of the battle, as the IT Security industry does the best it can, to protect you from external malicious virtual attacks.

• Communicate – You may not still be in the same building as your colleagues, but thanks to modern technology you can stay in constant contact with them during work hours (whether they like it or not!). If something doesn’t seem right to you, rather than risk it, contact your local friendly IT person and ask for a second opinion, after all, they’d rather you contact them now with a potential problem, then contact them later with a serious problem! If you think you have identified a cleverly disguised phishing e-mail, why not share a warning with all of your colleagues, again, communication is definitely key when working from home!

• Stay Vigilant – This is not just the most important tip whilst working from home, it is the most important tip in computing and internet use, full stop! It just takes one small lapse in judgement, just clicking on one rogue link could bring whole organisations to their knees. Yes, that sounds a little OTT but unfortunately it is the reality of IT security. Earlier in the year, whilst many parts of the world were at standstill due to Covid-19, hackers, and malicious users were cooking up new ways of using this time of unrest and uncertainty to their despicable advantage. We saw all different kinds of phishing ploys, from phishing e-mails masquerading as official government communications, asking users to click links to apply for furlough payments, to hackers sending text messages disguised as the NHS. As I mentioned in the communication tip, if you identify any of these types of phishing or malicious communications, that you believe could easily dupe someone else, spread the word, and know that every communication helps.

I hope these three simple tips give you just a flavour of how important it is not only to have a robust IT security system in place, but to do your bit for cyber security also. Although these tips are aimed at working from home, they can be used in all walks of life, essential workers, office workers in the workplace, and even just in everyday life. Please stay up to date, communicate, stay vigilant, and stay safe virtually and physically.