For the past 18 months, the majority of employees have been working from home; first, as a means to continue working under lockdown, and now with the widely accepted roll out of hybrid working practices.

As a result, businesses and individuals have had to cope with rising threat levels from cybercriminals, who are finding new ways of extracting personal data and hacking accounts.

From ransom attacks that can affect whole companies and networks, to the links embedded in an email, cybercrime comes in many different formats, so it can be challenging to identify every risk.

70% of employees would prefer for the continuation of flexible remote working conditions, giving cybercriminals the opportunity to take advantage of the gaps in a company’s IT infrastructure and data protection measures.*

One in five organisations reportedly experienced a security breach due to remote working, so to better protect your team and your business, we’ve broken down the areas you need to pay closer attention to.

Phishing emails are becoming more and more difficult to spot. Here are a few signs to look out for:

• Demanding an urgent action to be taken whilst threatening a negative consequence
• Bad grammar and spelling mistakes
• Inconsistent email addresses and domain names
• Includes suspicious attachments or links

Smishing

Smishing is when you receive a text message (commonly from a bank) telling you that there is a problem with your account, an issue with a payment or you need to reset a password due to suspicious activity.

Not all text messages from companies are a scam, however, it is always best to contact the company using a real number just to make sure the text is genuine.

When working remotely, always be vigilant and inform your workforce of best practices.

For more support, contact us today.

*McKinsey & Company

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