Cyber Defense eMagazine June 2020 Edition

Risks of Working from Home
COVID-19 has forced the corporate industry to opt for remote working in place of an office setting. This
has increased the risk of a data breach. The major causes of this increase in risk are:
● Work from home means that several devices are connected to the company's database. This
increases the chances of data theft and leakage.
● The flow of data to and fro the company's system is carried out through multiple networks with
varying security levels. This eases the work of predators and cybercriminals.
● Most of the employees working in a traditional setting are not familiar with the usage of online
tools. This increases the chances of human error and mishandling of data.
● Unprotected devices are always an easy target for phishing emails and malware. Just one risky
device or a single random click by any employee can risk the whole system.
Checklist for GDPR Compliance
Here are some necessary measures that your company or organization must take, especially in this
current situation of remote working, to maintain their compliance with GDPR.
● The company must update its privacy policy for employees working from home.
● New agreements must be made with third parties and outside vendors to maintain compliance
with GDPR.
● All the employees should be provided with secured devices by the company.
● If employees are using their own devices, they must be well protected with an up to date version
of antimalware and firewall.
● The encrypted network is a must for data security. Therefore, the company should provide VPN
protected Wi-Fi devices to all the employees working from home.
● If the employees are using their own Wi-Fi, they must be restricted to use password-protected
Wi-Fi only. They must avoid using shared or public Wi-Fi for accessing and sharing the company's
data.
● Limit access to important files and data.
● Two-factor authentication must be used for allowing access to the company's database.
● All the tools and software used for communicating and data transfer must be encrypted.
● Employees must be asked to limit their online activities on the devices that are used for accessing
the company's database.
● Employees must be restricted from sharing any details and passwords with unauthorized people.
Company's data should not be shared with anyone, not even with the family members.
● Employees must be trained for the usage of online tools and software to decrease the chances
of human error.
● Employees must also be educated about online safety and how to stay safe from phishing emails
and invading malware.
● Companies should have a proper IT infrastructure to monitor remote devices connected with their
system.
● Notifications must be set to get an alert in case of any security risk from any device connected
with the system. This device should be immediately removed from the system and denied access
for the time being.
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