6 Cybersecurity Tips For Working From Home
If you’re using your home network to process your personal or corporate information, here are 6 cybersecurity tips to avoid any data leakage or hackers. Working from home has become a common trend in light of recent global events, especially during this pandemic. Under COVID-19, you need to keep yourself safe and physically fit. Protecting your data and your digital assets is just as important.
Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is an important tool to protect personal or business data. It serves as an encrypted tunnel to secure data transmission over wireless or wired connections. When working remotely, you may need to download or upload sensitive information for your business or with your colleagues. By using a VPN, any digital information could be protected from hackers or data leakage.
All our networking products support 30+ popular OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN service providers, popular choices including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and ProtonVPN etc. By using a VPN router, you can enjoy the VPN services not only on a single device but multiple devices that are connected to it. It is extremely helpful while working from home, considering that you may be utilizing multiple devices, such as mobile and laptop. We have prepared a dedicated page about VPN for you, visit here for more information.
Personalize the Name of Your Router
Many routers come with default SSID (the name of your WiFi), which mostly are the company’s name or the product’s name. This gives out information to outsiders - making it easier for hackers to guess the default login or check the vulnerabilities on certain models.
The first step would be to change the SSID to something different from the default setting, but try to avoid showing too much personal information. For example, avoid using your name, street name, apartment number as the name of your router. Try to be creative and use easy-to-remember combinations to avoid leaking too much information.
Set a Strong & High-Quality WiFi Password
Remember the time when you received your router, and you went through the setting up procedure? Most routers come with default passwords, it is usually something easy and basic as 123456. This pre-set password is easy to guess by hackers or even your neighbours. WiFi serves as a gate in your smart home network, an insecure password is just like an unlocked door to your home.
That’s why you need to set a strong password (and remember it). Basically, your passwords should have a minimum of 12 characters and include numbers, symbols, capital, and lower-case letters. You can also use passphrases if you want to have an easily remembered password. Instead of “karen1980”, use “KarenWasBornIn1980”.
Here we recommend a free online password tool for you. It offers suggestions for your password, from technology to +Tec3hnology! Super easy to remember and it is a very strong password too! It also comes with a “randomize” button to generate password for you! Try this tool for free: https://www.safetydetectives.com/password-meter/
Keep Your Router Updated
Similar to your mobile apps, your router needs to be up-to-date as well. Manufacturers often release different versions of firmware from time to time, providing better customer experience or bug fixing. Sometimes the old firmware contains vulnerable flaws that can easily become the security loophole for hackers. As a usual practice, manufacturers usually deactivate or stop supporting the older firmware version after a certain time period.
Always install or update the latest software available on the system. Although most routers update automatically nowadays, it’s a good idea to manually check for available updates regularly. Click here to check the latest update of GL.iNet firmware.
Actively Monitor Your Devices
Network monitoring is a crucial part of cyber risk management. It helps to detect cyber attacks and threats of your home network. Constant monitoring offers real-time visibility and traffic of all your devices. Given how many IoT devices that are connected to your home router, secure your wireless home network is extra important under the working from home situation.
Managing all your home network is never easy though. Lucky for you, we have a seamless online 3-in-1 (WiFi, networking, and IoT) system, GoodCloud, to monitor and manage all your devices. You can instantly check the basic setting such as memory usage, uptime, and average load time. As well as the devices that are on your network, real-time traffic and set up email alarms when you have new devices that are connected to your router.
Install Ad & Online Trackers Blocking Software
Digital ads can be annoying sometimes, and all those retargeting ads can be creepy and even intrude on your privacy. That’s why you need a software that can block all the ads and online trackers. We recently collaborated with AdGuard Home and integrated their software with our OpenWrt and UI for better control. The software can not only block ads within your browser but also in your mobile apps and games. All the online trackers and analytics systems will be blocked as well.
You see, keeping your data safe while working remotely is equally important as keeping yourself healthy during a pandemic. Protect yourself, your family and your digital information.
About The Author
Ruby Lo is a Hong Kong-based Digital Marketing Specialist at GL.iNet. As a technology and cybersecurity lover, she is passionate to share her ideas and tips with the visitors. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
About GL.iNet
GL.iNet builds network hardware and software solutions that bring affordable and secure network connectivity to families and businesses all over the world. We work with a wide range of industries, solving everyday internet problems in offices, and providing complex networking solutions such as smart buildings and IoT Networks. At GL.iNet, We believe all successful businesses build upon a strong and secure foundation, which is why our highest priority is perfecting network security and reliability for our partners.