One recommended safeguard in the context of coronavirus prevention is to increasingly work from home and use mobile devices. As such, it is necessary to find pragmatic solutions that ensure an organisation is able to continue working while also safeguarding confidentiality, availability and integrity.

Despite the challenging situation, IT security should be considered accordingly when setting up workstations at home.

If mobile working solutions are spontaneous, it is generally not possible to implement all of the requirements for IT security in full. Faster and stable network connections, VPN solutions and the procurement of appropriate hardware can only be established on an ad hoc basis or effected in exceptional cases.

The BSI recommends a series of simple safeguards that represent a foundation for IT security in the context of mobile working and do not demand a great deal of effort:

Top 5 for your IT security

• Clear rules:
  Establish rules regarding IT security and the security of data in hard-copy format that are clear, binding and cannot be misunderstood. Communicate these rules in writing to all persons involved.
• Nothing to see here:
  At your home workstation, put safeguards in place to achieve a security level that is comparable to an office room. Close doors when you leave the workstation, do not give third parties any opportunity to look through windows and never leave windows open.
• Unique verification:
  Make sure that unique points of contact and communication channels are in place that can be verified by employees.
• Beware of phishing:
  There may be an increase in phishing e-mails exploiting the current situation and attempting to access your sensitive data by referencing remote access, resetting passwords, etc.
• VPN:
  Ideally, you will access your institution's internal resources via a secure communication channel (cryptographically secure Virtual Private Networks, or VPN for short). If you do not yet have any secure and scalable VPN infrastructure in place, find out about the solutions available.

These safeguards and others, with further details, are available in PDF format on the BSI website Home-Office? – Aber sicher!.

The information listed takes account of the recent developments in relation to coronavirus and will undergo further development and improvement in the medium term. The BSI has compiled recommendations and safeguards for the long-term establishment of secure remote workstations and further information on the tips provided here in the IT-Grundschutz.

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