Dr Jason Nurse, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Cyber Security at Kent’s School of Computing has written an article for The Conversation, discussing the potential dangers to individuals’ online security and privacy while working from home.
With millions of people around the world now working and interacting remotely due to COVID-19, the article explores how online collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack and HouseParty present security concerns that should make users be mindful of their activities. Jason argues that the use of some these platforms and how we share our data could place individuals, their families and or their employers’ at risk. The article also discusses the increasing threat from cyber-criminals attempting to take advantage of the crisis using a range of scams.
His top tips for staying safe while remote working during this pandemic are:
- Be careful what you post publicly – for example, posting photographs of homeworking setups, can expose your location or show sensitive personal information
- Check recent security and privacy reports about online collaboration tools before using them – use tools your employer trusts
- Protect your devices by installing anti-virus software, updating systems and apps and implementing multi-factor authentication
- Share meeting links for conference calls with only invited parties.
Read the full article titled ‘Working from home risks online security and privacy – how to stay protected’ here: https://theconversation.com/working-from-home-risks-online-security-and-privacy-how-to-stay-protected-134599
Dr Jason Nurse‘s research focuses on the interaction between users and aspects of cyber security, privacy and trust.