March 23, 2020
Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Alert
Author(s): Jason P. Gonzalez, Jenny L. Holmes
As the COVID-19 pandemic moves employees to remote working, it puts companies at a greater risk for a cyberattack. Here are some tips for businesses to safely navigate the “work-from-home” environment.
As employers and employees are adjusting to the new “normal” of working from home, the risk of a cyberattack has never been greater. Hackers are preying on innocent employees and their lax cybersecurity practices as an easy way to gain access to organizations of all sizes and across all industries. Now, more than ever, it’s important to remind your workforce to remain vigilant about cybersecurity. Employers should consider circulating any company privacy or information security policies as a helpful reminder for employees. It’s imperative that your employees review and understand these policies. We encourage employers and employees alike to try to maintain the same or similar security standards as normal.
We put together a few additional reminders as we navigate this challenging time:
Above all, employees should be advised what to do and whom to immediately contact in the event of a suspected or actual data breach. Be mindful to encourage employees to self-report any incident, rather than instill fear. While your employees can be the company’s biggest weakness in terms of data security, they can also be your first and best line of defense.
Finally, we strongly recommend considering whether any changes to your information security programs are warranted. Many state laws require review and updates of privacy and security policies as company circumstances change and moving an entire workforce to a remote situation is certainly a material change.
The foregoing has been prepared for the general information of clients and friends of the firm. It is not meant to provide legal advice with respect to any specific matter and should not be acted upon without professional counsel. If you have any questions or require any further information regarding these or other related matters, please contact your regular Nixon Peabody LLP representative. This material may be considered advertising under certain rules of professional conduct.