I’ll have a Vanilla Caramel Latte and that hacker over there will have all of my company’s info

PERKASIE, Pa. - July 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Working remotely in a coffee shop or outside on a sunny day – it sounds perfect right? You’re able to get

your work done, but also enjoy your favorite latte or take in some fresh air and sunshine at the same

time! Thanks to the abundance of hotspots and free WiFi connections available these days, it easy to

work from almost anywhere. Yet by working through a public WiFi connection, are you putting your

information (as well as your company’s information) at risk?

Many companies invest substantial assets in order to provide employees with access to computers to

perform the responsibilities of their jobs. Employees who are provided with computers or access to

computers in the course of their jobs have significant responsibilities regarding their use. Here are some

precautions to help keep that information secure especially when working remotely:

Make good use of your firewall

Always start with the basics. Be sure that your mobile firewall is on. Most operating systems have a basic

firewall pre-installed, but it may not be something that is automatically enabled. Check to see that it is

on and operating to give yourself at least another layer of protection when accessing public Wi-Fi

networks.

Ensure the site you are using is encrypted

Sites that encrypt their data make it unreadable to others, which is important for pages that require you

to plug in passwords, social security numbers, account numbers, and other confidential information.

Many websites that ask for confidential data automatically take this step for you, yet it makes sense to

check for yourself to ensure you’re not handing over sensitive information across a public connection.

Look for URLs that start with https:// rather than just http:// for the most secure connection. For

employees who are required to work many hours away from the office, many companies provide a VPN,

or Virtual Private Network for them to use. A VPN offers the security of a private network when you’re

using an unsecured public WiFi connection. All of the information sent or received will be automatically

encrypted.

Refuse to share

Sharing is good, right? Not on public WiFi it isn’t. When working remotely, be sure to check your file and

print share options so that you’re not leaving your data out in the open. Since this option enables filesharing between more than one computer or printer, your private data (or your company’s private data)

may be more easily accessed when sharing is left on, especially if it’s not password-protected. This is

one of those situations when refusing to share is actually a good thing. Check to make sure your data

sharing options are disabled and you have a good chance of KEEPING your private information private.

Do you really need to connect?