The pandemic COVID 19 is changing the daily routines of millions of people throughout the world, including the way they work. Many companies are telling their employees or giving them the option to work from home. The coronavirus situation and lockdown in most parts of the world have forced a large number of people not just remote work but full time working from home.
If you are working remotely, it is a great idea to keep cybersecurity into consideration to save your valuable data from cyberattacks. It means protecting your data and devices from cyberattacks just like you do in the workplace. Here are some tools to help you secure your devices and data when working from home.
5 privacy tool recommendations
Tool # 1: Network Encryption Tool
Using an unprotected WiFi network while working from home is the most common way to disclose your company to a data security breach. Being a remote worker, it is common for employees to use open or public WiFi. In this case, the employees need to be educated about the right way to secure the company’s data.
The right solution is the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Before connecting to a public WiFi, employees need to use a VPN that will encrypt the internet traffic and monitor for any symptoms of infection to your device. In this way, remote workers can easily go out of the house and companies make sure that their data is completely secure. This is a useful tool as it adds a layer of privacy and security to your browsing. It also offers some privacy from your internet service provider and works to reduce tracking through your IP address. It hides your identity in a private tunnel and prevents unwanted spying on your valuable data. Look into what this tool is and how it works more based on ExpressVPN’s guide on what is a VPN.
Tool # 2: Ad and Tracker Blocker
Websites and companies track each of the activities you do online. Each website, ad, and social network button track and collect information regarding your browsing habits, location, and more. The data collected online tells even more about you than you might think. This section of how ads target remains one of the most unsettling innovations of the internet.
One of the great tools you can use in web browsers to prevent spying eyes from tracking and collecting your information is the Privacy Badger. It is similar to an ad blocker, but it actually does not block ads. Instead, it mainly concentrates on blocking browser trackers that track and collect your activities across websites while browsing. It begins with sending a “do not track signal” to websites and, if they don’t obey the instructions, it learns to block the trackers they are sending. Privacy Badger blocks trackers so that ads will not follow you around.
Tool # 3: HTTPS Connection
Communication between your server and browser is not secured and can be tampered and intercepted by attackers. Attackers and hackers can get hold of sensitive and valuable data such as payment and login details or insert malicious code into the invited resources. Network attacks can happen anywhere with an unreliable ISP or router.
To save data theft and prevent spying, encryption is necessary. Many websites don’t offer secure connections so the extension such as HTTPS Everywhere is a must-have. HTTPS Everywhere manages all HTTP sites and encrypts your connection with these websites and their nearby websites. It is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Android as well as available for mobile that forces websites to make use of encrypted connection whenever you browse them.
Tool # 4: Secure Messenger Tool
When the messaging tool is not secured and end-to-end encrypted, your messages and data will open to be read by the app and even attacked easily by the hackers.
A secure messenger tool is a right solution for end-to-end encrypted chat. A signal is one such application that is considered to be one of the most secure and private messaging tools available. It is open-source and involves end-to-end encryption by default, and it does not store any message data or use the cloud to back-up messages.
Tool # 5: Password Manager
Online accounts are highly vulnerable to hacker attackers which can lead to the data leaked from the account. When the account is not secured with a strong password, chances are high that your online account is attacked and data being stolen.
Password manager tools such as LastPass and psono.com work to manage passwords for your various accounts so that you don’t have to remember all the passwords. One of the best free manager app, LastPass and psono.com works great and create strong passwords with simple clicks and works well with various devices. You can use its features such as multi-device sync and unlimited password storage for free. The security compromise with LastPass is that you are giving access to all your accounts to a single service. So theoretically, if it gets hacked, you are compromising them all. But if you pair it with 2-factor authentication for each account that enables it, there are few chances that a hacker could access your account.
Conclusion
Protecting your privacy from theft is important because your identity is extremely valuable. Having your personal information stolen can risk your everyday activities and damage your reputation both personally and professionally. That is why it is necessary to protect your privacy online. Using privacy tools, you can reduce the risk of data stolen while working from home.