Organisations are being urged to follow cyber security best practice when shifting their work from the office to the home during the coronavirus lockdown.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published advice for UK companies to reduce the risk of a cyber attack on work devices including laptops, mobiles and tablets, and tips to help staff spot phishing scams.
"Working from home is new for a lot of organisations and employees. Even if home working has been supported for some time, there may suddenly be more people working from home than usual, some of whom may not have done it before," said the NCSS.
Its latest advice for businesses includes:
· Preparing for home working
· Setting up new accounts and accesses
· Controlling access to corporate systems
· Helping staff to look after devices
· Reducing the risk from removable media
Within the guidance there is advice on dealing with suspicious emails, as it warns that there is evidence that criminals are exploiting the coronavirus online by sending phishing emails that try and trick users into clicking on a bad link.
If clicked, these links could lead to malware infection and loss of data like passwords. The scams may claim to have a ‘cure’ for the virus, offer a financial reward, or asking for donations. The guidance offers advice on spotting those emails, as well as on how to respond in the event of falling victim to a scam.
