Are you working from home and don't know where to start on keeping your tech secure? Read our guide to maintaining your online security.
Keep connections secure
If you’re using a company server, make sure your VPN network and your Wi-Fi connection are private and secure. Never use public networks; these are far more vulnerable to online criminals looking for confidential or financial information. It’s estimated that scammers cost UK business more than £1.2 billion in 2019 alone.
For emails, ‘Take ‘Five’
Phishing attempts are malicious email, messaging or call-based campaigns which attempt to harvest your online data.
Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and your business from phishing. For example, Take Five, a Stop Fraud initiative, encourages people to stop and think whether the seemingly trustworthy person at the other end of the communication is really who they say they are.
Keep social media secure
If using any company social media platforms, it’s important that any content you upload or share is appropriate and relevant from a brand point of view. Regardless of the post, any platform you or your colleagues use must be password-protected and used only for work-related purposes, in both the consumption and the making of digital content.
Two-factor authentication, which offers two layers of security, can help bolster your company’s security on social media platforms.
Illegal streams are a net loss
Never use illegal streaming sites on work computers to watch films or sporting events; accessing these leaves your company’s servers vulnerable to viruses which could put your company’s services out of action, losing them vital revenue.
Worse still, it could result in heavy fines from a potential GDPR breach if confidential information, such as bank details or medical histories, is leaked. It’s therefore easy to see how accessing illegal streaming sites for something as ordinary as a sporting event could end up causing serious damage to a company’s digital infrastructure.
A strange phone number? It could be a scammer
If a third-party calls your work phone (or even your personal phone number) from an unusual number, or from an area code you’re not expecting, answer with caution and pay attention to what the person at the other end of the phone says. They might try and trick you into letting them access your computer by telling you something is wrong with it, or asking you for money to pay for something vague, like engineering costs or a new security package. If you notice any sign of malicious intent, hang up. Do not return their call, and if you have the function, block the number.
Even GTG and Arnold Clark’s company phones have reported an increase in suspected scam calls in 2020, claiming to be from organisations like HMRC. So if you’re at work, don’t entertain potential scam callers.
Coming out of lockdown, it’s especially important that all security-related incidents are reported to the Group’s Information Security team at spoof@arnoldclark.com, regardless of the device you’re using for work.
For more information on GTG’s online safety and information security guides, visit our Resources section.