The pandemic has completely changed home and work life in a number of ways. One of the biggest is that people have been working from home due to shutdowns, something that’s expected to continue even after the coronavirus crisis has passed.
77% of surveyed organizations said they expect to have more remote workers working 3+ days per week from home after the pandemic is over.
But beyond changing your daily routine and family life, working from home can be doing something else – exposing you and your family to more cybercrime.
Many home computers and networks don’t have the same type of managed security protection that business environments do, but they’ve become just as targeted thanks to the surge in remote work. To avoid this users can use multi-factor authentication. If you are confused, the purpose and meaning of multi-factor authentication defined here.
Hackers have taken notice that the transmission of business data has shifted from business networks to home networks. This has led to a significant rise in attacks on residential computers, routers, and other devices.
Some of the dangers to home networks are seen in the following alarming statistics:
- The number of malicious phishing websites increased 350% between January and March 2020.
- Cyber crime reports to the FBI have gone up 400% due to the pandemic.
- In less than a month, phishing emails increased 667% due to COVID related circumstances.
How Are You Exposed to More Cyber Incidents by Working from Home?
There are a number of different factors that make employees working from home more susceptible to a virus or ransomware infection, data breach of financial information, or other type of cyber incident.
Home Networks are Being Targeted More
Hackers realize that millions of remote workers in New Jersey and throughout the country are accessing business data on less secure home networks. They go where the opportunity is, and it has currently moved to residential networks.
Home Networks Can Have Less Secure Devices Connected
From a Ring doorbell camera to a teen’s smartphone, when you’re working from a home network that means you’re sharing that network with devices that may be less secure than when you’re at an office.
Hackers often compromise the least secure endpoint and then look for other devices on the same network to breach.
You’re Cut Off from Normal Office Tech Support
If you don’t have a separate managed antivirus or maintenance plan for your PC, then it can be more at risk because you don’t have the same IT resources as you did at the office.
Things that may have been done without you realizing it, like patch management and automated backups, aren’t happening anymore, leaving your computer at bigger risk of being breached.
Home Routers are Less Secure Than Business-Grade Routers
Routers may look the same on the outside, but on the inside, there are big differences in the security capabilities of a consumer-grade router and a business-grade router.
A study of 127 different home routers, found they had very poor security.
Working from home and being connected to a router designed for consumers, can leave you more at risk of having that router hacked, followed by your connected PC.
You Don’t Have the Same Network Firewall Protection
Many offices use a network firewall that monitors all incoming and outgoing traffic and can apply multiple security measures to help keep the devices on that network secure.
Once you’re working at home, outside that protective firewall, your computer and data are much more at risk if you don’t have any type of protective plan in place.
How WebGuardian Keeps You Safe When Working from Home
Managed security plans aren’t just for business computers. Work is no longer relegated to an office and neither is the computer security and technical support you need.
Two River Computer’s WebGuardian program offers first-class security at a home office-friendly price. Whether you’re doing online banking or logging into your company’s Microsoft 365 account, it can keep your session and data secure.
Some of the ways that WebGuardian keeps remote workers and their home computer safe are:
- Managed antivirus that is continually updated for the newest threats
- WebProtection that blocks those dangerous phishing website links
- Free virus or malware removal if needed
- Identity theft protection
- Password manager to prevent weak passwords
- Proactive monitoring of your computer’s health to spot any signs of trouble
- Ongoing software updates and security patches applied for you
- Cloud data backup to ensure you don’t lose any important files
- Remote technical support, so you’re never left without help
- Plus, optimizations and annual tune-up included for free
Work from Home Without Worrying About a Cyberattack
WebGuardian does more than offer multiple security optimization solutions, it offers peace of mind and allows you to work from home without worrying about your company or personal data being exposed to hackers.
Contact us today to sign up or learn more. Call 732-747-0020 or reach us online.
