It’s not personal: Only use office-issued or office-approved devices when working for the Commonwealth
Most personal devices (including monitors, printers, and tablets) are not sufficiently protected, updated, and monitored to support telework. While personal devices may allow for faster responses or more flexible working arrangements, hackers are seeking to compromise non-approved, personal devices so they can hack into Commonwealth networks. Not only does using personal devices risk an attack against the state’s networks, this practice can also compromise personal and family devices, data, and bank accounts.
Action Steps
State employees should PAUSE and make sure to follow department’s telework and travel policies when away from office-approved workstations. Employees working remotely or on the road, should adhere to their department’s policy before attempting to access work networks, sites, emails, and files.
State employees should also VERIFY with their manager and IT staff how to access work networks properly when commuting or travelling. Setting up a cellular hotspot and VPN are more secure options.