https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/home-working

In response to the major increase in people working from home in order to help stop the spread of coronavirus, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published guidelines for both staff and organisations.  Government advice has urged employers to allow staff to work remotely where possible, and this can present different cyber security issues that need to be addressed.  Employees may need additional services and accesses to allow for home working, so it is important to set strong and unique passwords, and enable two-factor authentication where possible, when setting up user accounts.

Organisations should consider what software their staff may need to collaborate while working remotely; they may need to implement systems for video conferencing and document sharing for example.  The NCSC also recommends offering extra support for staff who are not used to working from home, including providing ‘how to’ guides for new processes and ensuring they know when and how to report any security issues.  Finally, the NCSC advice highlights the threat from coronavirus-themed phishing attacks which seek to prey on people’s fears in the current climate.  It is advisable to brief staff on how to recognise such scams, further information on which can be found here.