With many people shifting to working from home at the drop of a dime without realizing that this would end up being a much more long-term scenario, some inevitable weak spots have surfaced that cyber criminals are not blind to. One main network is now separated into multiple smaller “office” networks which increases the complexity and need to be proactive around security.
Because this no longer is a temporary “let’s just make it through” situation, it’s time to circle back and reduce the risk of these things happening to your business.
Here are the top reasons why home networks are getting hacked in today’s landscape:
1. Insecure connection to the business network without a VPN.
Remotely accessing and transferring data across an insecure channel means that the data is unencrypted and can be seen in transit by anyone who knows how to look.
2. Exploiting the default Wi-Fi username and passwords on wireless devices.
If a home device was set up to keep the default username or password of “admin” or another simple password, this is an easy weak spot to exploit. A hacker can try this default on thousands of devices at once hoping that one returns a hit.
3. Hardware or software is not kept up to date.
Updates are a critical way to keep a machine equipped to block the latest threats. Vulnerabilities in software are one of the first places criminals look for entry points because they know that most updates will patch the issues as soon as they are applied.
4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is not enabled.
If a hacker gains access to one of your passwords, they often will try it against all other systems under your name to see if there are any duplicate passwords used. MFA requires more than one way to prove your identity when logging in, such as a code sent to your personal cell phone, which often stops criminals in their tracks by not having enough information to successfully log in.
5. User falling for phishing scam and downloading malware.
There has been an exponential increase in phishing scam attempts around Covid-19 that use emotional tactics to trick users into clicking malicious links or attachments. Many people have trouble telling what is legitimate because of how believable the emails can appear.
6. Other computer in the home network gets infected without your knowledge.
If another device on your network gets infected, that is putting your machine at risk. If the malware spreads, that means that an entry-point to your company’s network is now compromised.
7. Credentials were leaked on the Dark Web from a data breach.
Unfortunately, data breaches through websites and big corporations happen more often than you would think. Once user data is compromised, it is common that it makes its way onto the Dark Web as business data for sale or download. This one is tricky because this can happen with no knowledge or fault of the user, so without periodic scanning most people would never know.
Worried That One of These Could Affect You? We Can Help.
