WFH: Spy software may be watching and tracking you
So, the coronavirus outbreak has you working from home in an effort to help flatten the curve. You’re trying to focus on the job at hand, but there’s so much craziness in the world that you just want to get away for a while and check on your family and friends.
While that might be a nice mental break, it’s not exactly what’s best for business. Whether you’re in the office or at home, you should be focused on work while you’re on the clock. Tap or click for 7 productivity tools to improve work performance.
Managers and company owners know how easy it is for workers to become distracted, and many are taking drastic actions to keep their teams on task. Feel like someone is watching you? They might be.
Is your boss watching you?
Instead of relying on workers emailing status updates, some companies are going to the next level when it comes to keeping tabs on employees. Some are actually installing spying software on their employees’ computers that capture every keystroke and log every website they visit.
This isn’t necessarily a new practice, either. Companies have been tracking workers in the office for years, but now this technology is making its way to employees working from home, too. Tap or click here to find out how your employer sees everything you do on your device.
Axos Financial Inc. CEO Gregory Garrabrants admitted his company was doing this. “We have seen individuals taking unfair advantage of flexible work arrangements,” he told Bloomberg News. “If daily tasks aren’t completed, workers will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”
Axos isn’t the only company using this type of software while employees are working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. Surveillance software is being used by more and more companies across the U.S. In fact, spying software manufacturers say sales have nearly tripled in recent weeks.
RELATED: The coronavirus danger no one is talking about – widespread cyberattacks
Is this legal?
Wait, it’s illegal for your company to spy on you, right? Actually, no. As long as your company discloses it’s using spying software to you upfront, it’s perfectly legal. Your company may even be doing this if you’re working in the office.
Plus, it’s not just a matter of spying on workers. Some companies are justifying the use of spying software in the name of security.
Identity theft warning: 30 million credit card records for sale on the Dark Web
Security breaches are no fun for anyone except hackers. Data has become so valuable to advertisers and scammers alike that email addresses alone can fetch a hefty price on the shadier parts of the web.
It happens like clockwork: A flaw is discovered in a popular website or platform. Hackers undermine the system and infiltrate it. Then, the stolen data makes its way to a Dark Web marketplace, where anyone with bitcoin can have a go at your info. Tap or click here to see how 21 million stolen logins were sold this way.
3 tools to snoop on kids' and family's computers and phones
Kids are being introduced to technology at much younger ages these days. Over half of all children between the ages of 8 and 12 already have their own cellphone. Almost 40 percent of children younger than 2 years old have used a mobile device for entertainment.
5 smartphone spy apps that could be listening and watching you right now
Spy apps may have been designed so that parents can watch over their kids, but that’s not where it stops. These sneaky apps can be used by boyfriends, girlfriends, family members or even suspicious employers. So, if you suspect someone seems to know a little too much about your life, they could be spying on you right now.