Helpful Privacy Tips When Working from Home

For those with school age children, working from home now also means learning from home. In addition to your personal web surfing and emailing, separate your kids’ online school activities from a work-issued laptop and corresponding network. We typically think of financial institutions and healthcare companies as the primary targets of cyber thieves, forgetting that schools contain a wealth of personal information on both staff and students that brings in top dollar on the dark market. In addition to Social Security numbers, vulnerable data includes physical and psychological medical information; direct deposit bank account information; the names, ages and addresses of children; home and mobile phone numbers; child custodial arrangements; remedial learning plans; and other sensitive information. Magnifying the risk of breach is that the network security of school systems is likely far behind that of banks and hospitals, for example, which have sizeable budgets and large staffs dedicated to cyber security.

Keep schoolwork separate from work-work. And take all steps possible to safeguard your own computer, secure your home network, monitor your minors’ web activity, and follow safe online practices.