(What’s a VPN you say? This may not affect you today, but it will one day…read on…)
You’re a hard working team player who likes to check e-mail and get a few things done after hours – all good! But here’s something you might not know: you should never access company data, file servers or applications through a VPN (“virtual private network”) using personal devices and home PCs which are not properly monitored by professional IT processes. Why?
If you and your kids are using a home PC to play games, access Facebook and surf the web AND you’re not diligently updating and monitoring the condition of the antivirus software, firewall and security patches and updates on that machine (and who does, honestly?), then there’s a high probability you’re infected with at least one form of spyware or malware.
Since most malware is designed to operate in total stealth mode undetected, you won’t know that some hacker is possibly watching or harvesting your keystrokes (using a “keylogger”) or other data as you log in to your company’s file server or cloud application containing critical, sensitive data and capturing your login. Bottom line, ONLY use company-approved devices that are properly protected and monitored to access company data; and if you just can’t help but take work home, there are ways to do it securely, but not necessarily common knowledge.
Your professional IT service provider is the best resource for getting setup in a secure way to work remote or from home.