9 Crucial Online Safety Tips for Remote Workers

Remote jobs are a godsend for people who want more control over where they spend their time.

Employees who work remotely don’t have to worry about traffic, the discomforts of the office, or scheduling plans to travel.

However, there is one danger of remote work that people tend to forget: cybersecurity.

The freedom to use your own equipment, carry company data around, and connect to any Wi-Fi is the same thing that can compromise your safety in cyberspace.

If you’re not careful, you could leave your professional data up for grabs to hackers and other cybercriminals. Let’s look at nine crucial online safety tips for remote workers you should know about.

1. Perk Up Passwords

Studies show that 81% of cybersecurity threats happen because people use passwords that are too easy to guess. This can be one word with “123” at the end of someone’s birthday.

To stay safe, you need long passwords with numbers and symbols and both upper and lower-case letters.

You can use secure password managers to remember all these complicated passwords for you.

2. Tick the 2FA

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra level of defense between your password and sensitive data.

It does so by requiring something random or personal, like a one-time password or biometrics, to access your data.

Whether it’s your social media account or your equipment, you should activate 2FA to fortify your protection against cyberthreats.

3. Watch the Wi-Fi

As we previously stated, remote work lets you work anywhere from a cafe to a hotel by the beach. These places usually have public Wi-Fi available for everybody in the vicinity.

Unfortunately, it’s this accessibility that makes the Wi-Fi so dangerous.

Anybody can access the public network and all the data sent through it, whether it be your personal messages or professional documents.

Use your own private Wi-Fi, or better yet, activate the free VPN software to keep the cybercriminals away when you’re not sure about the network’s security.

4. Don’t Skip Software Updates

When a notification about the need to update your device pops up in the middle of the day, your first instinct might be to hit anything that isn’t the “Install” button.

However, think twice before dodging the next update on your phone. Software Updates are there to help you keep up with cybercriminals' tricks as they patch holes in your cybersecurity.

You need to get in the habit of clicking “Update” the second the notification pops up so that your data keeps out of hackers’ reach.

5. Protect Your Personal Network

Cybercriminals have the easiest time stealing data through public Wi-Fi. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get into your private network as well.

You will need to fortify your Wi-Fi at home by setting strong passwords for your routers as well as anything connected to it.

Keep your routers updated when you can, use good encryption like WPA3, and activate firewalls where you can.

6. Analyze Attachments

Cybercriminals don’t always need to crack your password or get into your wi-fi to steal your data. Sometimes, they just send you attachments or links that will make you open the door to your data yourself.

In 2022 alone, 300,497 people lost more than 50 million US dollars due to this type of cybercrime called phishing.

You need to double-check that the sender of these links or attachments sent to you is legitimate. You can also hover over links and triple-check with the sender that the attachment is safe.

8. Boot Up Your Backup Drives

Oftentimes, cybercriminals steal your data without leaving a trace. However, there are times when cybercriminals deliberately corrupt and delete large amounts of their victim’s data.

To prepare for this, you need to keep your files backed up in an external drive. That way, these types of attacks will have less of an impact on you.

Just make sure that your backups are well-maintained and functioning. You can even encrypt these drives to keep them extra secure.

9. Learn About Cybersecurity

Technology is always evolving, and with it, so do cybercriminals. That’s why it’s important to educate yourself on cyberthreats and the latest ways to keep your data secure.

This means following experts, listening to their lectures, and reading their newsletters. You can also go to events like workshops or conferences about cybersecurity.

The most advanced step you can take is to study ethical hacking, which will let you not only test your security but also know the ins and outs of hacking.

Stay ahead in the cyber safety game by staying informed. Attend webinars, read security blogs, and keep an eye on the latest cyberthreats. The more you know, the better equipped you are to identify and tackle potential risks.

10. Gear Up Your Gadgets

It goes without saying that your gadgets hold a lot of your sensitive data. You should remember to fortify your hardware as well as your software.

This means making sure your devices are locked properly behind unique passwords when you’re not using them. As we stated earlier, you should also keep their software updated.

In case of theft, you can also find ways to delete your data remotely. These are the most basic ways to keep your data safe.

Working in cyberspace has as many dangers as it has perks. That’s why it’s important to ensure your digital workspace and data are kept safe.

The tips we shared above will help you to avoid some of the most common cyberthreats.