Contents:

• Introduction
• What stays the same working from home
• Secure your home network
• Keep your computer & files secure
• Getting remote support from KIS

Introduction

What stays the same working from home

• Be alert for phishing and other scams - check with KIS or your manager if you get an email that seems suspicious. As so much more of our communications are online, the opportunity for clicking on a scam email that appears to be from a co-worker is greater (see sample scam emails).
• Passwords should be strong and not used for more than one account - if a password is compromised, it can't be used anywhere else. 
• Set up Multi-Factor Authentication using the Duo app following these instructions, as it's needed to access services such as CAESAR, MyHR, the VPN, etc.

Secure your home network.

Change your default home WiFi network name. You will have a default network name when your network is set up by your ISP. This name should be changed to something specific and easily identifiable as your network.

Strengthen your default home WiFi & admin passwords.  At least 8 characters, mixed case, a number, a punctuation (details here). Modems and routers from your internet service provider often have a sticker or label on them with the default name of your wifi network and the default password.

In most cases, you will have to log into your router or modem to change your wifi password. If your modem/router has a simple default password (ie admin/admin or admin/password), change that password to a strong one as well. For assistance, read How to Find Your WiFi Password.

Enable a Guest WiFi Network. This allows you to keep guests and visitors to your home on a separate network from the rest of your devices while still allowing them access to the internet. 

Northwestern's VPN Setup instructions are here. 

Keep computers & files secure.

If you need to use your personal computer:

• Install anti-virus software here. 
• Ensure your computer has the latest updates and security patches (Windows Update  | Mac Update) 
• Do not save any sensitive information locally
  
  • Save your files on OneDrive rather than locally.
• You can access MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and other Office 365 tools online if you do not have them on your computer
  
  • Log in at http://msoffice.northwestern.edu/ with your NetID & password. 
• Other computers on your network can impact your security too. Just because the machine you are using is up to date does not mean that other devices used by partners, roommates, children, etc. are secure. Ensure every device connecting to your network has up to date software.