How to work safely at home during corona crisis? The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) offers 4 tips on how to safely just stay at work.
The Netherlands continues to work through the corona crisis. Those who can, do so at home. But beware: for cybercriminals, this crisis is an opportunity to capture sensitive data. And a mistake is easily made, which can put sensitive data on the street.
Follow these tips and prevent data about customers, clients, patients, citizens or colleagues from falling into the wrong hands.
Work only in a secure home working environment, if possible. So log in to your organization's server at home. So that you get to see the same screen as in the office. If possible, use equipment (laptop or tablet, for example) that your organization has provided you with.
Don't have a secure home working environment? Then consult with colleagues, clients and contractors about how to work safely.
Be careful when using cloud, storage or e-mail services, especially when they are free. Because it could be that such a service is free precisely because the provider is using your data for other purposes. Such as marketing or selling data to third parties. Also, these services might not be properly secured against cyber criminals.
As always, be extra careful with special personal data, such as medical data or data from which a person's ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion can be inferred.
Are sensitive documents not on the server, but only on a usb stick or on paper? Then make sure they are on your organization's server.
You can scan paper documents at the office and then put them on the server. Or, if this is not possible, take the data on a usb stick. In that case, be sure to encrypt the data on the usb stick.
This applies, for example, to lists of your customers' addresses, but even more so to sensitive information. For example, about religion, ethnicity or health. You can lose paper files or a usb stick, and in some cases they can even be stolen.
For conversations in which you discuss sensitive data, preferably use the available secure means of communication. That is, first and foremost, the telephone.
Sometimes organizations have secure options for video calling or chatting. For example, many healthcare organizations use systems that meet the strict standards set for healthcare, for conversations with patients. Use these, if they are available.
Does your organization not have secure options for image calling or chat? And is it really necessary to deploy these tools? Then be mindful of any alternatives, such as consumer apps like FaceTime, Skype or Signal.
During the corona crisis, use it on rare occasions. Good care takes precedence over privacy in this crisis, but take important safeguards.
In doing so, be sure to discuss as little sensitive information as possible. For example, do not mention names, but instead use things like calendar numbers or patient numbers.
Where possible, do inform the person involved of the privacy risks when discussing personal data via a consumer app. Where possible, ask permission from the patient with whom you are speaking, for example.
Do you use a chat app like Signal or Whatsapp? Then delete the chat history at least after each conversation. And remember to check if the app you are using encrypts your messages. Secure your Internet connection with a strong password.
Are you receiving e-mail messages that you are not expecting or that are from an unknown sender? Then do not click on links in these emails, do not open attachments and do not enter any data.
Cybercriminals are known to take advantage of the corona crisis by sending phishing emails. These are fake emails containing, for example, information about the corona virus. With these, the criminals try to extract information or install malware on your computer.
Please keep this in mind for the time ahead. Do you receive such an e-mail? If so, report it to your organization's ICT department.
Want to know more about security when working from home? Check out the National Cyber Security Center's precautions for working from home.
This news item can also be found in the Coronavirus dossier
