Working on your company computer can make the distinction between personal and professional tasks more hazy, whether you are an office worker or work remotely. If you spend the majority of your workday in front of a computer, becoming attached to your desktop PC is not unusual.
This might eventually result in using a work computer for personal purposes. At first, it might just be some personal email checking during lunch. However, if the line is continually crossed, it may lead to someone using their work computer for both personal and professional purposes.
On a work computer, some people engage in activities that are unrelated to their jobs, such as:
- Reading and sending private email
- News headlines are read.
- Purchasing online
- Banking online
- Social media monitoring
- Music streaming
- Streaming movies and videos
Mixing work and personal is a bad idea, no matter how much more convenient it is to use your work computer for a personal task during the day. You might wind up receiving criticism, causing a data breach at your business, or even losing your job.
Here are a few things you should never to do on a work computer.
Log in with your personal password inside the browser.
Many people manage their passwords by allowing their browser to save and then automatically fill their passwords. Although it might be useful, this is not a very secure option if you lose control of the PC.
If the computer you’re using isn’t yours, it might be taken away at any moment for a variety of reasons, like an unexpected termination, an upgrade, or a repair.
Your passwords can be used to access your cloud accounts if someone else gains access to that device and you never sign out of the browser.
Not all outdated computers are destroyed or kept in a storage room. Some businesses will donate them to deserving organizations, but if the computer hasn’t been properly wiped, your passwords could end up in the hands of a stranger.
KEEP PERSONAL DATA
Particularly if your home PC doesn’t have a lot of storage space, it’s easy to develop the habit of storing personal data on your work computer. However, this is a bad habit that exposes you to the following serious issues:
your files could be permanently lost if you lose access to the PC for any reason.
The company has access to your personal information:To guard against data loss, many businesses back up employee devices. As a result, those beach photos you keep on your work computer but don’t want anyone to see could be available to the entire company because they were recorded during the backup process.
Go to crafty websites
Any activity you perform on a work-related device should be regarded as being watched and accessible by your manager. Businesses frequently implement cybersecurity measures like DNS filtering that are intended to guard against phishing websites.
The same kind of software can also notify management if a worker visits a dubious website that could compromise security (as many sketchy websites do).
Any website that you wouldn’t feel comfortable visiting with your boss watching shouldn’t be accessed on a work computer.
Permit family or friends to use it.
It can be tempting to give a friend or family member access to your work computer when you work remotely and it is a fixture in your home. Work PCs frequently have greater processing power than a typical home computer, and they sometimes even come with company-supplied software that an individual wouldn’t normally buy.
However, letting someone else use your work computer could be a violation of the data protection laws that your organization is required to follow.
Just the possibility that a third party could access the personal information of your clients or other employees could result in severe consequences.
Additionally, a child or friend who isn’t familiar with cybersecurity risks might visit a phishing website, infect your work computer, infect your company’s cloud storage, and then blame you for a breach.
During the pandemic, at least 20% of businesses have encountered a data breach brought on by a remote employee.
Disable any company-installed software, such as antivirus.
It can be tempting to stop the backup process if you’re trying to work and it starts up and makes your computer sluggish. However, in the event of a hard drive crash or ransomware infection, this could leave the data on your computer unprotected and irrecoverable.
The primary purposes of company-installed apps are typically business continuity and cybersecurity. Unless specifically instructed to do so by your boss or the IT department of your company, these should not be turned off.
Data Protection is one of the most important aspects of making your presence in the online world. Every day, hackers get a little bit smarter and a little bit more creative in their techniques to break into the digital property of other individuals.
With PCtronics, you can rest assured knowing that all of your data will be secure with the highest caliber of online protection.
