Reduce the Risk of Cybercrime: Follow These Cybersecurity Best Practices

The pandemic resulted in a significant share of people working remotely. According to McKinsey, 58% of Americans are allowed to work from home at least one day a week.¹ Yet for all the benefits remote work offers, it also introduces additional cybersecurity risks. Portable devices—along with all the sensitive information in them—can be misplaced, damaged, or stolen.

To protect yourself and your firm from falling victim to cybercrime, follow these precautionary steps to safeguard digital information:

• Be mindful of where you talk about sensitive client information. Just because you can take a phone call in a public place doesn’t mean you should. It’s best to find a secure location when discussing confidential matters with anyone.
• Lock your phone/laptop if you step away from it.
• Don’t let family or friends use your work computer for personal reasons.
• Be selective about what you post and who you connect with on social media. For example, don’t announce your travel plans on Facebook and only accept friend requests from people you know.
• Check the privacy and security settings on websites, apps, and smartphones.
• Update device software and applications as frequently as possible.
• Disable Bluetooth when you are not using it.
• Do not connect to public Wi-Fi networks, disable Wi-Fi when unneeded, and delete unused Wi-Fi networks
• Use only the original charging cords or charging accessories purchased from a trusted manufacturer. Avoid using public USB stations.
• Do not open unknown email or SMS text attachments and links.
• Install the most up-to-date antivirus program on your laptop or home computer. Install new security patches immediately to protect against the latest threats.

Financial professionals—as well as clients—often travel for work. Even if you’re on a vacation, you may take devices that store sensitive information. If you are planning to travel within the U.S. or internationally, you must be vigilant about protecting your data. Keep yourself safe by following these steps:

• Before your trip:
  • Leave any devices you don’t need at home.
  • Back up all important files.
  • Remove sensitive files where appropriate.
  • Use strong passwords that have a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
  • Enable multifactor authentication on all accounts.
  • Set up travel notifications with your bank and credit card issuer.
• While traveling
  • Use a privacy screen for your device so others cannot see what is on your phone or laptop.
  • Ensure all your devices are secure. Keep them in a safe if staying in a hotel.
  • Consider purchasing a USB data blocker to protect your personal data from public charging station hackers.
  • If you need to use public Wi-Fi, don’t use it to access bank accounts or make online purchases.
  • Change passwords and PINs when traveling abroad.

Remote work has changed the way many people work for the better, but it has also presented an opportunity for cybercriminals. With millions of people working outside of the office, the potential for data breaches has exponentially increased. Keeping yourself safe—and your clients—has never been more important.