Last updated: February 7, 2025
Your home network, while familiar and comfortable, may not be as secure as the university's infrastructure. To protect sensitive UBC information and your personal privacy, it's essential to implement robust security measures.
Think Like a Cybersecurity Professional
- Designated Workspace: Establish a dedicated workspace to minimize distractions and maintain a clear separation between your personal and professional life.
- Privacy Awareness: Be mindful of your surroundings when working in public places. Consider using privacy filters or working in secluded areas to protect sensitive information from prying eyes.
- Secure Document Handling: Treat all work materials, both physical and digital, as confidential. Shred any paper documents containing sensitive information and avoid sharing passwords or login credentials.
Strengthening Your Digital Fortress
- Device Encryption: Encrypt your devices, especially those containing sensitive information. This ensures that even if your device is lost or stolen, your data remains inaccessible to unauthorized individuals.
- Strong Password Practices: Create strong, unique passwords for all your work accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate and securely store complex passwords.
- Software Updates: Keep your operating system, applications, and security software up to date. Regular updates patch vulnerabilities that cybercriminals may exploit.
Securing Your Wi-Fi Network
- Robust Encryption: Enable WPA3 or WPA2 encryption on your Wi-Fi network to protect your wireless communications.
- Change Default Settings: Modify the default administrative username, password, and network name (SSID) to deter unauthorized access.
- Keep Your Router Updated: Regularly update your router's firmware to address security vulnerabilities and improve performance.
- Disable Unnecessary Features: Turn off features like remote management, WPS, and UPnP to reduce potential attack vectors.
Additional Security Best Practices
- Guest Network: Create a separate guest network for visitors to isolate them from your primary network.
- Firewall Protection: Enable your router's firewall to add an extra layer of defence against cyber threats.
- Regular Reboots: Reboot your devices regularly to remove any malicious software that may have compromised your system.
- Secure Data Backups: Back up your data regularly to protect against data loss and ransomware attacks.
- VPN Usage: Use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic and protect your privacy, especially when using public Wi-Fi networks.
- Device Segmentation: Consider using separate devices for work and personal activities to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.
By following these guidelines, you can significantly enhance the security of your home network and protect your valuable information.
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