Remote working has increased exponentially since 2020, and so has the use of co-working spaces or cafes and business catering to the home worker looking for a change of scenery. But what are the security risks of working in a public place and how can you and your employees best protect yourselves?
In this blog, we’ll explore public IT security risks are and our top solutions for protecting yourself and your business from malicious actors.
In 2019, 46% of UK businesses became a victim of at least one security breach or attack, with average losses of £3,230. Protect your business today and get in touch with ECS Computers.
Public IT Security Risks:
Open public wifi/unsecured networks
- This biggest threat of using public Wi-Fi is what’s known as a ‘Man in the Middle’ attack. This is where a hacker places themselves between you and the internet hotspot, with all your traffic first going through the hacker before it gets to the connection point. This means all your information is getting sent to the hacker – bank details, sensitive emails and business data.
- Hackers could also utilise this connection to spread malware on to your work machine, or even your phone.
Traditional theft
- Not every risk is as complicated as a man in the middle attack! Working in public means there is also a risk of a traditional theft – a.k.a. someone stealing your laptop or phone – which will give them access to all your sensitive work data and potentially your systems.
Shoulder surfing
- This is where someone looks over your shoulder and spies on you whilst you are working. This is particularly an issue if you are working on sensitive information or typing in passwords.
How to protect yourself from public IT security risks:
1. Use a VPN
- What is a VPN?
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- VPN stands for Virtual Private Network.
- VPNs create a private, secure and anonymous network connection, even if you’re using a public Wi-Fi network.
- This allows for a range of different benefits, such as:
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- Better security and privacy: VPNs encrypt your browsing data, with encryption used by security experts worldwide to protect sensitive information. This means malicious hackers or even your internet service provider can’t see what you’ve been up to online.
- Location privacy: With a VPN you can appear as if you’re in another city, or even another country or continent. This is great for security and anonymity.
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2. Use a software firewall
- A firewall is a system that acts as a layer of protection between your network and the wider internet. It filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of rules that are designed to keep you safe. It’s your first defence when it comes to defending against viruses, malware and hackers.
- A firewall works by looking at incoming and outgoing data packets. Data packets are just small chunks of data. The firewall will then judge whether it should allow or block the data packet based on a set of rules.
- Software firewalls generally come as a part of anti-virus software products and are highly recommended when you are outside the security of your office network, which will have a robust hardware firewall.
3. Have anti-virus protection
- It is never a bad idea to have robust anti-virus protection, whether you’re working in public or in the office.
- We recommend endpoint detection and response protection (EDR). EDR uses machine learning to protect you from even the newest malware.
4. Use a strong password
- Whilst they may be easy to remember, insecure passwords can be detrimental to your cyber security.
- Prevent a thief or a hacker from guessing your password by:
- Adding more characters to your password – we recommend at least 12 characters
- Using both upper and lower case letters
- Adding numbers
- Adding symbols
- We also recommend that you use unique passwords for each different account. Worried about forgetting them? Have a look at password keychains, that will securely store your unique passwords
5. Use MFA
- Whilst having a strong password is extremely helpful, teaming your strong password with multi-factor authorisation is highly recommended.
- MFA is an additional process to verify that it’s really you logging in to your account. In the majority of cases, you can either get a verification code sent to your phone or email, or you can use an authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator) that gives you a verification code that changes often. All you need to do then is to type that extra verification code and you’re in!
- Whilst it might seem like a bit of a hassle, for your important accounts, it will give you extra peace of mind – especially if you are worried about theft or hacking & other public IT security risks.
6. Lock your screen when moving away from your laptop
- Make sure you lock your screen when you are leaving your laptop. Locking it means any thief will need to crack your (hopefully strong) password before they can get to your data.
7. Encryption of the laptop
- If your laptop gets stolen, disk encryption will definitely come in handy. This adds another level of security – a hacker would not only need to get through your password to access your data but also the encryption passcode. no access to data
8. Use a personal hotspot
- If you are still concerned about using public Wi-Fi, you can always use a personal hotspot. This is where you can use another device (like your phone) to connect to the internet. Just make sure you turn the password function on to make it secure!
9. Be vigilant
- The best advice is to make sure you’re aware of what is going on around you. Does anyone look suspicious? Is there someone peaking over your shoulder? Keep your wits about you and be prepared.
Still have questions about public IT Security risks? Get in touch with ECS Computers today.