Victoria's snap-lockdown: How to stay cyber-safe when working remotely

Victorians are currently on day five of a planned seven-day snap lockdown, and there is increasing worry that we may see significant extensions.

For business owners who have only recently returned to a semblance of normalcy, this daunting news has raised major concerns.

The challenge of managing a business in a pandemic is difficult enough, and while we may be preoccupied with preparing for current circumstances and uncertain weeks ahead, it's important to remember that during these times we are at our most vulnerable to cybercrime.In 2020, cybercrime was more prolific than ever before.

A survey by CrowdStrike revealed that 67% of Australian respondents had suffered an attack in 2020, placing us only second-place to India.

Furthermore, Scamwatch reports indicate a 22% increase in scams from the previous year, totaling over $175 million dollars in damages.

As a result of the global pandemic and recurrent lockdown restrictions, reportedly 2 in 5 are now regularly working from home, which introduces a wide range of security concerns.

Rather than operating on a work-approved network & device, many employees are now working via shared devices and shared WiFi networks at home.

Login credentials are being passed around, safety habits are slipping, and the security standards of the workplace aren't as immediately available.

Following nearly six months of Victorian lockdown in 2020, we know that scammers ramp up their efforts in times like these. It's crucial that we learn from last year's difficulties, and do all we can to stay safe both offline and online.

Here are some steps that you and your colleagues can take to bolster your cyber safety during and beyond the current lockdown:

Set up a VPN at home: The vast majority of home networks are not suitable for workplace activity. Unencrypted data can be viewed by anyone or anything else on the same network, which in the event of a shared WiFi, is particularly dangerous.

With a VPN, your workers can safely tunnel directly into the business network, meaning that hackers and cybercriminals nested on the home network can't view their data.

Furthermore, if you and your workers already have a VPN in place, make sure you keep it updated! Many organisations - including the US Government - have experienced recent cyber-attacks due to an out-of-date VPN.

Review system access rights: While working remotely, employees are more frequently logging in and out of things, creating a trail of potential security vulnerabilities along the way.

Take the time to enforce password changes in the business, and review who has access to what. Things like bank accounts, workplace email addresses, professional social media accounts, and general work systems can all be exploited for massive damages.

Remove unnecessary access and update passwords on all accounts. The fewer openings there are across the business, the safer it will ultimately be.

Keep an eye out for scams, especially during lockdown! Research shows that 35% of workers face consistent feelings of fatigue when working remotely.Perhaps it's for this reason that COVID-19 themed phishing scams are so successful.

Last year, people fell victim to countless tailor-made scams based on the pandemic; from false promises of early superannuation access to fake covid vaccine adverts. While scammers will do their best to make a malicious contact seem legitimate, there are usually some red flags that you can use to spot a scam:

• Bad grammar and typos
• Requests for card details or private information
• Requests for you to click a link
• Mismatched email addresses/phone numbers from the company’s usual details

Finally, it's important to keep cybersafety front of mind. Whether it's in your Zoom catchups or work messages, one of the easiest risk reductions you can achieve is by simply talking about cybersecurity.

The leading cause of cybercrime is human error, and the best fix is some simple awareness. For more work-from-home safety advice, view this article we wrote for Business Victoria.

Not sure about the next steps to take for your cybersecurity? Visit cyberaware.com for key safety tips and takeaways.