work from home - security considerations
Work From Home – Security Considerations
Working from home has become a reality for many people for the first time. It is important to be confident that work can be conducted from home computing in a secure way. Here are considerations to help you work confidently, as well as gaining greater confidence in the security of your home network.
1. Technology does not solve all security needs. Social Engineering, including Phishing, remains the top way for attackers to compromise accounts and computers. Go to www.odu.edu/cybersecurity and review topics such as Personal Privacy, Email Security, Password Security, and guidance on working from home.
2. Most homes have a Wi-Fi access point and an Internet Router. These may be combined into one device. Securing these is key to protecting your home network.
a. Ensure the default administrative network has been changed.
b. Allow only trusted people to connect to your network by requiring a password.
c. Make the password strong, since your device will remember it.
d. If your Wi-Fi/Internet Router allows for Guest access to a separate network than your home network, enable it with a separate password that you give to your guests.
e. If you are not sure how to do these things, ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for support.
3. User strong passwords.
a. Make your password a “passphrase” made up of multiple words.
b. Make passwords different for each internet site.
c. If you cannot remember all of them, consider a password manager (https://www.odu.edu/ts/security/awareness#Passwords )
d. Enable 2-factor authentication wherever possible
4. Ensure you have a current version of Operating Systems with automatic security updates enabled.
5. When using a University device, do not allow family members to use the device, but reserve it for work-use.
6. Remember that University data should not be copied to personal devices. Refer to the regulated data matrix for guidance on where sensitive day may be stored. (https://www.odu.edu/ts/security/regulated-data )
7. If you need to access protected resources, such as Banner or shared files (J: drive), use the ODU VPN ( https://www.odu.edu/ts/software-services/vpn ). Otherwise, utilize web accessible services directly, such as Blackboard, Zoom, Office365 email and OneDrive, which are all protected by DUO 2-Factor Authentication.
More information on Remote Computing can be found at https://www.odu.edu/facultystaff/computing/remote .
J. Douglas Streit, CISSP
CISO & Executive Director
IT Security and Planning
Information Technology Services
Old Dominion University
http://www.odu.edu/directory/people/j/jstreit
DUO 2-factor @ ODU: www.odu.edu/two-factor
Posted By: John Streit
Date: Fri Mar 20 08:35:09 EDT 2020