In Part 3 of “How to Make Your Remote Work More Secure” we looked into the importance of why you should use a separate network when working from home and why it is important to always lock your work computer before you go away from it. Here in part 4 we will see why you should set up different user accounts for family and/or friends if you use your personal computer for work. We will also discuss the importance of using a password manager.
Create A Different User Account for Family and/or Friends
This may seem needless if only your family is using the same computer, but it should be done. If everyone uses the same profile, it opens the door for a lot of potential problems. Someone may open the wrong document and mistakenly make changes. Emails can also be accidentally sent to the wrong people. And if kids play games on the computer, you can get pop ups in the middle of an online meeting. Why deal with the hassle? When you have different user accounts, you can also setup your desktop screen the way you want it – putting your icons and shortcuts where you want them to appear.
Use a Password Manager
Many people also use the same password for different websites because they do not want to remember dozens, if not hundreds, of passwords. This practice is very risky because the bad guys will use stolen passwords from a compromised website to access other websites.
Storing passwords in your internet browser is also very high risk because the bad guys can gain access to your computer and automatically access private and critical websites with your saved credentials (think online banking and shopping).
And, saving your passwords on an electronic spreadsheet or document can be risky. But, this risk can be mitigated by setting a strong password to lock these documents.
Password managers are a great tool to use when it comes to saving, accessing, and creating 100’s of passwords. Password managers offers a great level of security because it encrypts the passwords you store. We recommend password managers that use multi-factor authorization. If your company provides a password manager, you should take advantage of this great tool. And, for extra security always use multi-factor authentication when available. Multi-factor authentication may seem to be another extra step. However, it is worth it when you consider the consequences of having your entire list of passwords compromised
For Part 5 on “How to Make your Remote Work More Secure,” we will explain why you should ask your IT person about securing the DNS settings on your personal computer and the importance of updating your softphone software.
Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service can help your make your remote work more efficient, secure and stress-free. A perfect starting point is to have Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service complete an inexpensive risk assessment that will identify security and data vulnerabilities. For peace of mind, call Cantrell’s today: 925. 827. 1200.
