Cyber secure home working

I am being asked every day what the government is doing to ensure that home working is safe from cyber attacks? Is it safe to use Zoom or the House Part app? Google Meet or Microsoft Teams?

The truth of the matter is that we generally don't take cyber security seriously enough in our homes. We don't employ a network administrator to ensure that our internet router has the right firmware and has secure settings and passwords. We are not always aware of all the devices we have connected to our networks. Old phones, tablets, smart speakers etc, many of which have not been updated for some time.

Last week we published the annual Cyber Security Breaches Survey. In our report we found that while most organisations have certain technical controls such as secure configurations, firewalls and malware protection, only 25% of businesses have policies in place to cover remote and mobile working.

So, as we shift to working more from home, now is a good time to run over the basics. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advice for individuals is the best place to start: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online.

And for businesses, new guidance has been published: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/home-working.

I've been happily using Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Cisco Webex in recent weeks. Other vendors exist too. The key thing is to apply the same usual principles. Use secure passwords and use the current version. Examine the security and privacy settings. And be sensible. There might be some conversations where it's better to pick up the phone. If you want to subject your chosen video conferencing system to greater scrutiny, there is also guidance on how to do that: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/saas-security.

DCMS, NCSC and our partners will be keeping the guidance under review. Stay safe.