How to stay safe if you telecommute on vacation

The holidays are here and there are many who take their work team on vacation. If you are one of those who use your company computer and email on your summer days, you must always be alert to the possible dangers of remote access.

In this sense, ESET has prepared a list with 6 tips to reinforce the online security of those who intend to telecommute during their summer vacations.

summer safety

These are the tips to follow to avoid cybercrimes with telecommuting on vacation:

• Be careful with the Wi-Fi. Asking for the WiFi password when arriving at the hotel or connecting to the network on the terrace where we are having a drink are very common gestures during our vacations. But it is important to pay attention when we do it, since these public networks can give us a big headache. It is advisable to avoid its use whenever possible, but if we need to use a public WiFi, it is ideal to strengthen the security of our devices using a VPN and have an advanced security solution that helps us detect, among others, malware specialized in credential theft. Finally, it is very important to correctly configure the security options especially to prevent the device from automatically connecting to open Wi-Fi networks.

These are the 6 tips to follow to maintain security if you telecommute in your vacation spot

• Be careful with device sharing. It is common for us to share devices during the holiday period, so if you work or consult company information with a shared device, be it with friends, partner, children, etc., make sure to configure it with a strong password. Beyond correctly configuring the password to access the remote desktop, it is also important to configure email, important folders, and other routes or sensitive applications.
• Double authentication factor. There are many reasons why it is necessary to apply this security system that aims to reduce the possibility of our company being the victim of a computer attack. Having this layer of security on your devices reduces the chances that third parties can access your private information, including if your device is lost or stolen.
• You need to protect all your devices. This point is key to avoid being vulnerable to cyberattacks, since any device connected to the network can be a gateway. In other words, having a cybersecurity solution is essential, not only on computers and laptops, but also on tablets and mobile phones, especially if the same devices are used for work and personal matters.
• Advanced and updated antivirus. Not only is it essential to have a cybersecurity solution installed on your devices, but it also has to be configured to get the most out of it and always be up-to-date, otherwise it loses protection capacity. There are many types of cybersecurity solutions, so depending on the use you make, one or the other is advisable. The first step, therefore, is to decide which antivirus to install, since the most advisable thing is an advanced one that knows how to deal with the new threats that are emerging. The second thing that we must always keep in mind is to update the antivirus regularly so that it does not lose its effectiveness. There are antiviruses on the market that are updated without affecting the performance of your device, so there are no excuses.

• Caution. Cybercriminals are always trying to end up being victims of their attacks and they use different techniques to do so. It is important to remain vigilant and take the maximum possible precautions, since the attacks do not stop even during the summer. The first point of entry for criminals is the user, so think twice before clicking on a link, providing personal data, downloading programs from unofficial sources, or visiting suspicious websites.