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Working from home best practices

Just as our campus network is a target to computer attackers, so is your home network. Your personal information, accounts, emails, and your systems at home are valuable to cyber hackers. 

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Working with protected data at home

Protected data, especially Level 1 - Confidential Data - is restricted.

You may not access this data from your personal devices. Use of USB storage or other removable devices for storing Level 1 data is strictly prohibited as per CSU Information Security Policies.

For more information on Data Classification List read CSUN's data level breakdown.

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Work From Home Readiness

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Secure Your Home Network

Configure the network settings

Older Wi-Fi settings use weak forms of encryption, such as WEP. Instead, be sure you are using WPA2, which uses advanced encryption to protect your network activity.

Change the default settings

The administrator account is what allows only you to configure the settings for your wireless network. An attacker can easily discover the default password that the manufacturer has provided.

  • Make sure to change the default password
  • Change the default name of your wireless network, commonly known as the SSID.
  • Choose a name that cannot be tied back to your address or your family name.
  • Disable WAN access to router configuration page

Device Security

General Guidelines

It is highly recommended that you use a campus issued laptop to access campus sensitive data for best security. You can improve the security of personal devices by following the below guidelines. 

  • Never leave your devices in the car
  • Ensure your devices are running the most current version of the operating system
  • Avoid downloading and installing non-campus supported software.
  • Enable automatic updates for operating systems and applications

Protect with Antivirus 

Campus Issued Laptop

Personal Computer Recommendations

Storing Files

Use Cloud Storage (Dropbox)instead of USB or local hard drives

  • We recommend Dropbox as a place for you to save your documents. Personal cloud storage accounts or your personal hard drive are not acceptable for university data.
  • Save your work frequently  to your cloud folders
  • Keep Campus data on campus issued laptop or Dropbox

Campus VPN Required

To access your on-campus computer, use GlobalProtect VPNwith Duo MFA. Make sure you are using Microsoft Remote Desk Protocol (RDP) software on both Windows and Mac machines.

General Security Practices

IDENTIFY SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTACKS - Malware and Phishing
First and foremost, technology alone cannot fully protect you – you are the best defense. Attackers have learned that the easiest way to get what they want is to target you by attempting to trick you into clicking on a link or attachment. The most common indicators of a social engineering attack include:

  • Urgency: Messages or calls that create a sense of urgency, often through fear, intimidation, a crisis, or an important deadline. Scammers are good at creating convincing messages that appear to come from trusted organizations, such as banks, government, or international organizations.
  • Unsolicited Requests: A message or phone call that pressures someone to bypass or ignore security policies and procedures to submit personal or financial information. 
  • Unusual Wording: A message from a friend or co-worker in which the signature, tone of voice, or wording does not sound like them.
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