MOHAVE COUNTY – With confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID -19) in Mohave County, many businesses will be shifting their employees to at home work to reduce the spread of the virus. The surge of teleworking will inevitably bring along new challenges. As residents are getting their work-at-home systems set up, Better Business Bureau (BBB) encourages everyone to follow several proactive steps that will aid in preventing digital breaches to lower the risk of businesses and consumers falling victim to cyber crimes.
”Scammers are opportunists and they will unfortunately take advantage of any major incidents in the news let alone a major crisis situation such as the coronavirus outbreak,” said Michael Sedio, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest. ”We do expect to see more cyber crimes knowing that most businesses are asking their employees to work online remotely. We at the Better Business Bureau strongly encourage teleworkers to follow BBB cybersecurity tips to work safely from their residence during this transition time’’.
Secured home network. Start with the router. Turn on encryption (WPA2 or WPA3).
Encryption scrambles information sent over a household’s network so outsiders
can’t read it. WPA2 and WPA3 are the most up-to-date encryption standards to
protect information sent over a wireless network.
Install anti-virus protection. Only install an antivirus program from a reputable
and trusted source. Visit bbb.org to check
businesses reviews.
Keep software up-to-date. Installing software updates for operating
systems and programs are critical. Turn on automatic updates and always install
the latest security uploads for personal devices. Use web browsers such as
Chrome or Firefox that receive frequent, automatic security updates.
Practice good password management. Use
strong passwords – 13 characters or more is recommended. Use a
mix of characters and never use the same password for multiple sites. Passwords
should be updated at least once every six months. Many password managers will
create secure passwords and store them in an encrypted file.
Protect sensitive data. Keep sensitive data such as Social Security
numbers, credit card information, etc. protected on a workstation, laptop or
mobile device. Always use encryption when storing or transmitting sensitive
data.
Securely
store sensitive files. When there is a legitimate business need to transfer confidential
information from office to home, keep it out of sight and locked with a key. If
you don’t have a file cabinet at home, use a locked room.
Dispose of sensitive data securely. Teleworkers should not throw away sensitive data, and should instead, shred it. Paperwork no longer needed can be a treasure to identity thieves if it includes personal information about customers or employees.
Avoid phishing scams. Beware of suspicious emails.Cyber criminals will attempt to deceive individuals into divulging personal information such as logins and passwords, banking, personal and credit card information.
Be careful when web browsing. Avoid visiting unknown websites or downloading software from an unsecure source. These sites often host malware that will automatically, and often silently, compromise a consumer’s computer.
Follow employer’s security practices. The employees’ home is now
an extension of their office. So, it is important to follow the protocols their
respective employers have implemented in their handbook.
If anyone has been a victim of cyber security,
there are resources available to report to such as Internet Crime Complaint
Center (IC3). IC3 is
a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). IC3’s mission is to serve as a vehicle to
receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding
arena of cyber crime.
For more information or to schedule an interview with a BBB spokesperson, please contact Kryistyna Hook at 928.302.3701 or kryistyna.hook@@bbbcommunity.org. For more information regarding hoe BBB is supporting businesses throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, visit https://www.bbb.org/coronavirus-business/ and BBB.org/Coronavirus.
