Are you working from home? While we all struggle with productivity at times, a growing problem we’re facing is staying secure while we’re WFH. 

A new survey that looks at consumer sentiment and habits around online security in light of the shift to remote work due to COVID-19, found that Americans (59%) admitted to feeling more at risk online than ever before. The lines between our personal and professional lives are blurring now more than ever, from people using their personal devices to conduct business to remote employees accessing shared company account log-in credentials (like their corporate Twitter accounts) and sharing them with each other over unsecured channels like email or Slack. This leaves individuals and companies much more vulnerable to online risk. And there’s no shortage of opportunists using coronavirus for their latest phishing scams, hoping someone will click through and hand over credentials or other valuable info. 

As the CEO of TechSesh and a social media consultant, I’ve been working from home for the past six years and can tell you things can get phishy. I’m no security expert, but I’ve learned a few important things along the way about insecure WiFi networks and poor password hygiene. I have a few tips for living your best internet lifeand creating strong passwords and working remotely securely.

1) Make your password long, strong and complex. Raise your digital hand if your password is “123456" or what about "password”? The good news is you're not the only one, these are the two most commonly used passwords on the web. The problem is, most of us don't know what makes a good password and aren't able to remember hundreds of them anyway. So here’s a rule of thumb, at least 12 characters, mixed with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Don’t use dates or names of loved ones or anything else that hackers can find with a Google search.

Why does this matter? There's a common type of attack where a bot will continually guess passwords until it cracks the code. Oh, and a bot can make about 10,000 password guesses a minute and it knows all the common patterns that many humans use when creating a password to make its guesses even more likely to work. Remember: bots>humans. 

2) Don’t reuse or share passwords. Each site you login to should have its own, 100% unique, site password. This means your email, banking accounts and especially your logins to company accounts.

Why does this matter? Using identical or similar passwords can lead to an attacker taking over multiple accounts with one stolen password. No matter how secure you make your OWN site, you can’t control (or even know) how secure OTHER sites are. The last thing you want is a hacker logging in to your email account and using the password reset form on any site they like, ie: your company website or your personal bank account. 

3) Get a password manager. If you follow all of these rules, you’re going to have too many passwords to memorize. But you’re going to have to store them somewhere, so make sure that somewhere is safe too. Security experts have urged us for a long time to use a dedicated app to create and keep track of secure passwords for you. 

Password managers like Dashlane save and autofill all your passwords and login information on every website, so you never have to click “Forgot password?” again. The subscription-based software tool makes it easy to manage everything about your online presence from password management to even spotting when an account is compromised, keeping you secure from threats. 

4) Turn on 2FA. After using a password manager, add an extra layer of security to your online accounts by enabling two-factor authentication (2FA). This is good for your most important accounts, like banking and email.

Why does this matter? When 2FA is enabled, even if someone gets a hold of your password, they still won’t be able to access your account unless they also have one of your devices.

5) Arm your home network. Make for a more secure internet connection. Consider your network’s name, whether or not your signal is encrypted and disabling visiting users —this will be your first line of defense.

Why does this matter? Protecting your computer or laptop won’t help if an attacker connects to your Wi-Fi or gets access to your router. Anyone who does that can intercept everything you send or enter online, including passwords for remote access to an office-based computer or corporate mail. So make sure to configure your network connection correctly.

6) Change your router login and password. Router devices have preset default usernames and passwords, and because they are all the same for everyone, they are also known across the Internet and easily searchable. If you have never changed the login and password required to enter the router settings, do so now. Why does this matter? Intruders can spy on you, because everything that you send online passes through the router. 

7) Protect devices with an antivirus solution. Malware is a threat to not only personal computers, but also smartphones, routers, and even TVs—and the benefits of antivirus software are obvious. Windows 10 Defender software already comes installed on new Windows computers, and in case you’re wondering.. Yes, Macs need AV, too. Less malware is aimed at Macs than at PCs, but that’s changing. Other antivirus software you might look into, include Kaspersky Security Cloud Free and Avast Free Antivirus 2020.

8) Update programs and operating systems. With every passing day, new vulnerabilities are being found in applications and operating systems. And cybercriminals can’t resist exploiting them to infiltrate other people’s devices. The worst part? These bad actors rely on people being too lazy to update software, because in the latest versions of programs vulnerabilities are usually found. So it’s important to regularly update everything installed on any device that you use for work purposes.

9) Last but not least, a work from home tip. Sure, daily work moved from our trusted office spaces to our couches, but your back won’t thank you in the long run, so try to find yourself a desk and a comfortable ergonomic chair.

Thank you to Dashlane for partnering with me on this - If you decide you would like to try Dashlane it’s free on your first device. When you want to upgrade to premium, use my code Jessica for 50% off.