Back-to-School Season Is a Cybersecurity Risk for Your Business Too

September brings a predictable wave of change to home networks: new laptops for students, new streaming and gaming accounts, new devices connecting to the same Wi-Fi your employees use to work from home.

None of that sounds like a business problem – until you remember how many employees are still working at least part of the week from that same home network.

Every new device on a home network is a new potential entry point into any work account or system accessed from that same connection.

Why This Time of Year Specifically Matters

• New devices, default settings: Freshly unboxed laptops and tablets often keep factory-default passwords and outdated software until someone gets around to updating them – sometimes weeks later.

• Shared networks, shared risk: A compromised gaming console or streaming device on the same home network can, in some cases, be used as a stepping stone to other devices on that connection.

• Busy households, lower guard: Between schedules, school portals, and new apps, people are clicking through setup screens faster than usual – exactly when phishing attempts targeting “back to school” themes tend to spike.

What Businesses Can Do About a Problem That Happens at Home

You can’t manage an employee’s home network. You can reduce how much that network’s security matters to your business:

• Require MFA on everything work-related so a compromised home device isn’t enough on its own to access company systems.

• Use a business VPN or Zero Trust access so work traffic doesn’t depend on the security of whatever else is connected to that Wi-Fi network.

• Keep company-issued devices under your own management (patching, endpoint protection) regardless of what network they connect to.

• Send a quick reminder to employees about updating new devices and using strong, unique passwords – a two-minute email that costs nothing to send.

A Seasonal Reminder Worth Repeating Every Year

None of this is new advice. It’s just advice that matters more right now, while so many households are adding new, unmanaged devices to the same networks your business quietly depends on every day.

Not Sure How Exposed Remote Work Leaves Your Business?

Atech Business Services helps businesses secure remote and hybrid work setups so a busy household doesn’t become a business incident.

Schedule a complimentary consultation to review your remote access security.