Tech Tips

With the transition to working from home, we are open to new vulnerabilities that may impact the security and privacy of our work. Often, we are unsure of what security measures we need to take to ensure that our data is protected – and even if we know some, are we sure that it’s enough? Below, I’ve highlighted the top tips to help you feel more secure and protected while working from home.

Use your firewall’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access files remotely

Using VPN access ensures that you are connected to a secure network, even if you are on a public network.

A secure VPN will encrypt transferred data, protecting it from being compromised.

Double check that your Windows is up to date

There are frequent Windows updates to improve the security of your system. By using a previous version, or not updating to the recent version, it leaves your system vulnerable to security breaches.

Update your antivirus software and firewall firmware

Make sure your antivirus software and firewall firmware are updated – these updates are designed to protect your system from new threats as they evolve.

Change your password from p@SSw0rd to something more secure

Although it seems simpler to have one password for all your accounts, it poses a huge security risk. Change your passwords every 30 days, and use a combination of letters (upper and lowercase), numbers, and special characters to create passwords that are harder to guess.

If you’re having difficulty remembering all your passwords, use a secure Password Manager to store them.

Reset your WiFi router password

WiFi routers are an easy target for scammers. Often, the default password provided by your Internet Service Provider is not secure enough, leaving your Wi Fi router exposed. Changing this default password to a more secure option will help protect you while you work remotely.

Limit who has access to your work

Ideally, your work computer should be separate from your “home” computer and should only be accessed by you. However, we know this isn’t always the case, and sometimes you need to share devices with other members of your family. In this case, you should have a separate, password protected work account on your device that only you know the password to.

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These measures are the starting point for protecting your data while working from home. However, for further guidance on your specific needs, reach out to your IT support or TJMicro Ltd to ensure you are taking all the steps necessary to maximize your security.

Technology has transformed how we connect with each other, grocery shop, and pick out our new favourite sweater. It has allowed us to access and complete tasks in ways we could never imagine before. However, to quote Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. Each of the accounts that you create houses some form of personal information – be it your name, address, birthday, credit card number and verification code, or your banking information. And the gateway to that information is your password.

We don’t often give passwords the credit they are due. They keep our information protected and known only to those with that confidential piece of information. Unfortunately, there are individuals who do try to hack accounts and gather our information to use it maliciously. In order to defend ourselves or our organizations from these attacks, we need to strengthen our first line of defense – our passwords. Using easy to guess passwords, like passw0rd or password123, increases your risk of hacking and having your information exposed. This can lead to devastating consequences, like identity theft or fraudulent charges on your credit card.

With every password you create, no matter how insignificant the account may seem, you should take the following steps to increase your password security:

Password Length

The shorter the password, the easier to is to guess, or the quicker it takes to hack

because there’s fewer combinations to try. Keep passwords at least 8 characters long – this greatly increases the number of different combinations it could be, exponentially decreasing the changes that your password could be checked and increasing the time it would take to guess your password.

Password Complexity

Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Like password length, this will increase the number of different combinations and time taken to hack your password. According to the website Password Depot, a 9 character password consisting of 2 uppercase letters, 3 lowercase letters, 2 numbers, and 2 special characters would take over 9 years to guess.

Password Content

Although it may seem easy to remember your password if it’s the date of your anniversary, combination of letters and numbers chosen for your password should not be personally relevant. With the amount of information that is now available about each of us online, these relevant details are usually the first thing tried when trying to hack someone’s account. Having your birthday listed on Facebook, an Instagram post for your anniversary, or pictures of your dog are all different pieces of information that hackers will access and try to use to figure out your password. Using an arbitrary string of characters makes it harder to guess and increases your password security.

Always Create a Novel Password

Having a strong password for each of your accounts is key, not just one. Anytime you update your password, it should be a new one, not one you previously used or are currently using on another account. Re-using passwords increases your risk of a security breach and gives others the opportunity to access more of your accounts.

Use Two Factor Authentication When Possible

Lots of companies and websites allow for two factor authentication, a two-step process

to signing in that is meant to increase security. Often, the two steps include inputting in your account password, which then prompts a phone call or text to be sent to a personal device with a time sensitive temporary access code to then be entered before being able to access your account. Having two factor authentication increases account security as it requires someone to have knowledge of your password and access to your device.

Next time you log in to your account, think about the password you set, and if it is maximizing your protection against security threats. The best action you can take against potential security threats is to be proactive and arm your accounts with a secure password that will keep any hackers guessing.

With your team shifting to working from home, it becomes challenging to manage projects and deadlines as we had before. Factoring in that some employees may need to work flexible shifts for personal reasons, such as managing child care or serving as a caregiver for someone else during these trying times, or your current system can’t support everyone accessing it at the same time, it’s become even harder to have those daily check ins for updates and motivation. Fortunately, we are in an age of technology where there many tools available to help us better communicate and manage at a distance.

Project management tools allow you to track and monitor progress on different types of projects all in one space, eliminating the need for rifling through emails, spreadsheets, or files to find this information. Project management apps have exploded in recent years, with different features available to meet every team’s needs.

Here are some of the most popular features to look for in a project management tool:

Group Dashboard

Team communication has changed as more people work remotely. Meetings and updates are much more intentional as we have less informal communication opportunities, such as chatting at the water cooler or as we pass each other’s desks. Because of this, it can be difficult to stay on top of all the moving parts of the different projects or tasks you’re involved in. Meistertask is often applauded for providing an understandable bird’s eye view of different projects and tasks that need to be completed and how much progress has been made – putting the information you need all in one spot.

To Do Lists

The idea of a to do list often makes us think back to what chores need to be done, but to do lists are actually integral to project management tools. They provide a comprehensive breakdown of tasks to be completed and help guide workflow across many different employees. If to do lists are popular with your team, Monday.com provides flexible options for to do lists, and allows sorting by progress, deadline, and by project.

Highlight or change priorities

Adapting to changing priorities is a reality of business today. In project management apps, like Task Pigeon, you are able to assign high, medium, or low priority to each task. In return, employees are able to sort by this, tackling those items that are higher priority first.

Customizability

No two companies are the same, so it can’t be expected that they will use a project management tool the same – or would even want to! Therefore, make sure that any tool you use can be customizable to meet your needs, as well as the needs of your team. ClickUp is one of many well known project management tools with customizable views and built in tools to help maximize your team’s productivity. Most apps have a free trial period so you can give it a shot without committing to a long term or expensive plan before knowing if it’s the right one for you.

Project management tools can be used to maximize productivity, and in turn, help you do more by managing less.

Please note, the above mentioned tools are just one of many options available, and are only provided to serve as an example of the feature discussed. TJ Micro Ltd has not received any financial compensation for mentioning these particular tools, and does not endorse these tools over any other. TJ Micro promotes finding a tool that best suits your team and its needs.

We’ve all received an email stating that a prince needs help and to please send money right away, and that you will be rewarded handsomely in the future. This email scam was very popular in the past, with unfortunately, many kind-hearted individuals falling victim to it. Nowadays, this email is very easy to spot and less people are tricked into sending money or providing their banking credentials. However, with the evolution of technology, spam emails have gotten harder to spot, and unfortunately we might not realize it is spam till it’s too late.

Here are the top 3 types of scamming emails to keep an eye out for:

Phishing Emails

The sole purpose of these scam emails is to collect data or “phish” for your information. Phishing emails will often start off pretending that they are an official company, such as your bank, the government, or the organization you work for, and request you to confirm or reset your account information. Typically, it will request that you click a link which directs to a website that looks familiar – a mockup of a bank or government website, usually. By signing into this fake site with your account credentials, they now have their hands on your information.

Compromised Account Emails

Some scam emails will look official, coming from a “trusted company” such as Microsoft or Apple, and indicating that your account or computer has been hacked. They usually then request that you download a file or click a link to help clean your system – when clicking that link downloads a virus onto your computer.

Extortion Scam

Although the previously mentioned scam emails usually attempt to appear helpful, the extortion scam emails focus on your fear of having something personal exposed, such as your credit card information or a personal videotape. These emails will demand for money, usually via e-transfer, in exchange for not releasing your personal information. However, in most cases, they do not have any of your information, and it’s best just to not respond and delete these emails.

So, what do you do if you get one of these emails?

You want to get rid of these emails, immediately. Flag it as junk mail and permanently delete it from your email account. If the email was sent to your work email account, let your IT support know immediately. Odds are that you aren’t the only person targeted in your company, and they need to get ahead of it before someone responds to the email, not realizing that it was spam.

What do you do if you opened the link or gave your information?

Firstly, inform IT support immediately so that they can start taking action. Be honest and open about what the scam was and what information you provided – this will allow them to be proactive about protecting your information.

If this happened on your personal laptop or account, you immediately want to run a full virus scan of your computer – most anti-virus software gives the option of running quick or full scans, and will manage any viruses found as it identifies them. Second, you want to change all of your passwords, prioritizing passwords for your most sensitive information, such as your bank account, or websites that have your credit card information stored. For the next little bit, you will want to monitor your accounts for any unusual activity.

How can you protect yourself?

1. Read each email you receive critically – whether or not it’s from a known sender. If it seems out of character, contact the person using a different method (e.g. by phone, or at a different email address), as sometimes scammers will try to impersonate a known contact. Talk to your IT support team if you have any questions about the validity of an email.
2. Keep your anti-virus software update to date and run scans regularly on all of your devices.
3. Change your passwords frequently, and ensure that you are following protocol for a strong password.

As technology continues to evolve, we need to keep our guard up to protect our personal information and stay informed about new scamming strategies.

With the transition to working from home, engagement in video conference calls, and potentially having multiple people working from the same home at the same time, it is easy to see how there can be increased demand on your WiFi. Many people report slower speeds and unstable connections interfering with their ability to fully participate in their work meetings – or enjoy the latest movie on Netflix!

Outlined below are some initial steps you can take to try and improve your WiFi speed at home:

Understanding Your Current State

• Test your broadband speed by visiting a website like Speed Test and verify that the speeds reported for uploading and downloading reflect what you agreed to with your internet service provider
• Heat mapping tools allow you to identify the strength of your WiFi signal in a given location and understand whether or not the area you are working in needs to be adapted to improve the WiFi signal strength
• Tidy up your computer by removing programs you don’t use, or disabling programs that are working in the background that you don’t need
• If many people are using the WiFi at any given time, this can slow down the speed and impact your connection. Ensure that your WiFi connection is only being accessed by those given permission, such as those sharing the same residence, and isn’t being slowed down by people hopping onto your connection.

Location, Location, Location

Where your router is located, as well as what is around it, can greatly impact your WiFi signal strength. Use the recommendations listed below to maximize the location and positioning of your router for optimal WiFi signal strength.

Best Places for your Router

• Elevated, such as on a mantle or a shelf
• Central spot in the house, or central to where you need the strongest connection (such as near or in your home office)

Consider this within the number of floors in your house

• 1 floor = put it centrally
• 2 floors = put it on the top floor
• 3 floors = put it on the middle floor

Move other electronics away from the router as they might interfere with the signal. For example, don’t charge your phone beside the router, or leave the baby monitor nearby

Places to Avoid Putting your Router

• In the kitchen, as these appliances (like a microwave) can interfere with the signal
• Near metal, as this prevents transmission of the WiFi signal
• In a corner of your house or beside a structural pillar, as the WiFi signal will end up transmitting signals into the wall or structure as opposed to needed areas
• By a window, because WiFi signals will end up travelling outside instead of within your living space
• In the basement, as the signals cannot pass through cement or concrete easily

Try out these suggestions to boost your WiFi signal in those key areas of your home.

Please note, the above mentioned tools are just one of many options available and are only provided to serve as an example of the suggestion discussed. TJ Micro Ltd has not received any financial compensation for mentioning these tools and does not endorse these tools over any other. TJ Micro promotes finding a tool that best meets your needs.

Most of us relentlessly press the save icon as we work on a file, nervous that we might lose the latest changes we have made to the file we are working on. Previously, we would save important files on USB sticks – some of us might even remember the days of floppy disks – but in this age of technology and considering the amount of files we want to store, these options are no longer viable solutions.

So how should you store all that data? Here we will go over the what, where, and when of backing up your data.

What data should I be backing up?

The short answer: Whatever you want.

Any file or item that is important to you and that might want to review in the future should be backed up. This can include presentations, papers, contact lists, or photos. If you’re not sure if you want it again – back it up. Backing up your data will allow you to restore it if it gets accidentally deleted or if your device gets infected by a virus and makes your file unreadable.

Figuring out what data you want to back up, and therefore the amount of data, will dictate where you can back it up.

Where do I back it up to?

Knowing what and how much data you are planning to back up will guide your decision on where to back up the data. For some data, you may want on the spot automatic back ups, like we often see with the photos we take using our cell phone camera, and for other data, such as that big project you completed last year but aren’t going to touch again, you only need it to be backed up once. Getting a sense of what data will inform your decision on where to pack things up. Below, we have listed some examples of ways you can back up your data.

USB Key

USB keys are useful for backing up specific items, especially if you’re unlikely to use that file frequently, but just want to make sure you have an accessible copy. Typically, the USB key is inserted into the computer and you need to start the back up manually. Although many of us are familiar with USB keys, and they are a low cost option, they are easily misplaced – so any plan to use USB keys should include details on where you are keeping them to make sure they aren’t lost.

External Drive

External drives are very similar to USB keys – they just have more space, allowing you to back up much more to the drive than you can to a USB key. These are often popular options, and you can often find sales to get ones with lots of space for relatively low cost. Backing up to an external drive, like a USB key, will require manual initiation, unless you get it consistently plugged into your computer, allowing you to set up automatic and frequent back ups. However, in doing this, it can expose your drive to the same issues that may infect your computer and result in data loss.

Cloud Service

Someone looking to make sure they have copies of all their photos may be interested in a cloud service that automatically backs up every photo that is taken. This option is also good for individuals who have lots of data and require frequent back up. Using a cloud service often gives the user peace of mind, as the cloud service holds accountability for maintaining your data and has safeguards in place to ensure that you have access to it in the future. However, with this peace of mind comes a cost. Cloud services can range from a few bucks a month to significantly higher, and this rate is often dependent on the amount of data you are storing.

When should I be backing up my data?

In trying to answer this question, you should think about the importance of the data. The more important the data to you, the more often it should be backed up, especially if it’s something that you’re working on and revising. Important files should be backed up at least once a week – with an automated daily back up being the ideal solution. Build a routine or schedule for backing up your data, this way it doesn’t slip from your mind and end up at the lower end of your to do list.

If the question ever remains, when in doubt, backup your data. It’s easier to choose later to delete it, than to try and recover a lost file.