5 precautions to protect your computer in telework

The situation that the world is going through in recent months has made it possible to understand one thing.

You can never be well-prepared enough. It is clear that with the weather ahead, telecommuting may become embedded in your habits, with all the risk it could cause.

This article will also interest you: 6 precautions that could prevent you from contaminating the computer system in business

But we do not forget that even before the pandemic, there was already a significant application, methods of remote collaboration. In a study published in February 2019 by Malakoff Médéric, it was possible to remember that in France, telework was on the rise to more than 700,000 people in just one year, eventually reaching 29% of employees of private companies made up of more than 10 people. Since the explosion of Coronavirus disease, the rate of progression has risen to 40% over the period of containment, according to a figure disclosed by the French Association of Human Resources Directors. And this is not counting the thousands of self-employed or micro-entrepreneurs, for whom working from home is something standard.

While some teleworkers have received computer tools from their companies to facilitate remote collaboration, this has not been the case for everyone. That's why it's essential to adopt good practices to work from home safely.

1- Update your operating system

If the latest update to the operating system you're using is available, it's imperative that you install it. In this way, you will certainly be able to protect yourself from a security breach that could put the security and confidentiality of your work at risk. Under certain conditions, updating the operating system alone is not enough, third-party applications that work based on the operating system must also be fully up to date. In this context, stay constantly on the lookout.

2- Install a security solution

Indeed, this aspect is more than essential. You can't help but stumble upon a malicious website, inadvertently download malware. Every time you spend on the internet, whether you're using a USB stick or a Wi-Fi network, you know that you're exposed to different forms of threats. In this way, security solutions allow you to protect yourself from it, and in turn protect your company's computer system as well as the personal and confidential data you process during your telework.

3- Use a VPN

When you're telecommuting, you're between two different worlds: the work environment and the personal environment. As a result, most often, you are tempted to use the same terminal for your domestic and work activities. Such an alternation is likely to endanger the professional environment. It is for this reason that he strongly recommended by security experts to use a private virtual network, in other words VPNs (Virtual Private Network). This computer tool allows the user to isolate his connection to the public Internet so has gone almost unnoticed on the network. This increases his mobility and security. VPNs there are all kinds, you can find them free like other paid ones.

4- Composing solid passwords

Passwords are usually the first bulwarks between users and cyber criminals. This is one of the first ways to secure the connection. To this end, its composition must be done with meticulousness and a great deal of discipline. Indeed, it is recommended today to compose passwords of at least 8 characters, including capital letters and lower case plus numbers. This should be avoided for passwords consisting of birthdays, pet names, children, etc. one of the password recommendations is its unique use. The user must use a password per account. That is, in the presence of 10 accounts, the account must have 10 different passwords. This is difficult, but essential. To facilitate such management, the user will be able to help themselves by using a password manager.

5- Make regular backups

One of the biggest enemies of companies in the last 5 years are ransomware. It only takes one flaw, to see a computer system held hostage by this malware. The goal of cyber criminals behind this kind of software is to be able to extract money in exchange for decryption keys. If this kind of action continues to flourish, it is because in a sense cybercriminals have been successful several times. Part of the problem is that companies are forced to recover their data that is too important to them. Since the company has already made backups of this most important information, then easy for the latter to launch its system in failure mode, and continue its operation without fear of losing anything. That's why it's important to make regular backups of your files.

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