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Cybersecurity during the Corona Crisis

Posted by Tobias Leibach

The most important factor for security in the network is and remains the person himself. We would like to give employees and employers a few quick wins that can make daily work in the home office significantly safer.

Published 16. April 2020

Category: IT Security

Quick wins for IT security in the home office

Rarely in history has anything affected companies as much as the current Corona crisis. In order to slow down the further spread of the virus, many employers were forced to send their employees to the home office at short notice. This gave IT departments very little time to prepare for the new situation – especially in companies where telecommuting was previously uncommon.

But now the Corona epidemic has become a reality, and there are signs that this state of affairs could continue for some time. At the same time, figures from around the world show that attacks on computers and networks are increasing by leaps and bounds as the pandemic progresses.

The most important factor for security in the network is and remains the person himself. We would like to provide employees and employers with a few quick wins that can make daily work in the home office significantly safer. Many of these also apply to normal everyday (work) life. But with the crisis, new cybercriminal schemes have emerged that need to be recognized and countermeasures taken.

1

Treat emails from unknown people with caution and weigh carefully whether you want to open them.
Do not click on links or attachments unless you are sure you can trust the person.
If in doubt, talk to your IT department.
Don’t be pressured to act quickly and possibly rashly.

2

Secure all your end devices with a PIN, password or other security mechanisms.
Use online services on which you store important data only with two-factor authentication, for example, via a USB dongle or even free of charge via corresponding apps.
This low effort provides high security in case of loss or theft of a device.

3

Use strong passwords that are as long as possible and not based on personal data such as birthdays or names.
Use combinations of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
Work with a separate password for each account.
Use a password manager so you don’t have to write down passwords or forget them.

4

Beware of phishing emails with suspected content around the Corona crisis, such as grant applications.

5

Always keep your software up to date.
Perform updates promptly.

6

Your IT should take precautions to prevent unauthorized emails from being sent on behalf of your organization.

7

Make regular backups of your data. Then you will be able to restore them without much loss.
If you have no other option than to store data locally, then it must be backed up regularly.
These measures especially protect against ransomware.

8

Avoid public networks if possible.

9

Disclose as little of yourself as possible in public.
Hackers can use this information to design credible phishing emails that deal with topics that interest you, for example.
In public, use a privacy screen for your laptop or tablet to protect your data

10

Turn off virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa when making confidential phone calls.
Also, cover your webcam when you don’t need it.

11

Vigilance is essential.
Report immediately to your IT department if you have lost a device, suspect it is infected by a virus, or experience unexpected behavior.

12

Only take devices into the home office that you really need.
This alone reduces the risk of loss or theft.

13

If you use a WLAN in your private network, make sure it is secured by a strong password and regularly update your router.
If possible, use a VPN connection to access company data.

14

Do not mix private and business use of devices.
Do not store any business data on your private devices.
Do not connect unknown USB sticks to your computer.

15

Make sure you know all participants of online meetings and that they are trustworthy. Unauthorized people may have snuck in.
The easiest way to do this is to have a round of introductions at the beginning of the meeting.

16

Also lock your devices at home when you take a break or leave your workplace.

We support you with IT security!

You are facing exactly the challenge described above? You want your employees to be able to work securely – whether in the office or from home? You need to know how secure your network is at the moment or if there are gaps in your security measures?

Then we will be happy to support you. Our cyber security specialists are happy to help you in many ways:

Audits of your of the current state of your protection measures.
Identifying gaps in your IT security with red and blue team exercises, among other things.
Expansion of your measures to secure your network.
Support with software individually adapted to your needs.
Training and online training for your employees.

Frau arbeitet an einem Laptop in einer Situation, die auf Homeoffice hinweist. Im Homeoffice sind die gleichen Cyber-Security-Maßnahmen einzuhalten wie am Arbeitsplatz

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