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Staying cyber fit

With millions of us working from home due to the COVID-19, the cyber security risks are high. We've created a guide to help you to stay cyber fit when working at home.

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Millions of us are working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. That’s bringing many new challenges and one of them is cyber security.

Cyber criminals think they can use this difficult situation to exploit the weaknesses in our home networks or get us to click links to bad websites that will put malware onto our computers.

This is your ultimate guide to staying cyber fit at home:

Be prepared
Be prepared

Don’t use your work email address to register on non-work websites.

Password protect sensitive documents.

Back up all important files regularly so you can access them if your computer breaks down.

Be focused
Be focused

Be suspicious of emails that ask you to check, renew or share your logins or passwords. If you are using NHSmail, forward suspicious emails as an attachment to [email protected] and delete.

Be cautious with sharing information about your work on social media sites, especially on your personal accounts.

Not all cyber attacks come through email. A cyber criminal might call and pretend to be a fellow employee - for example from your ICT department or provider. Never share your personal information such as log in details with anyone; and call them back directly using known and genuine communication channels.

Be strong
Be strong

Don’t use the default password your broadband router came with. Change it to something secure.

Make sure you’re running the latest versions of software on all your devices including your router.

Be aware of fake text messages. Don’t follow the links. Always refer back to a trusted website, such as GOV.UK.

Further information

Last edited: 24 November 2022 11:19 am