How to stay safe online as a freelancer?

Over the past few years, the situation with freelance workers has changed radically.

Currently, in the US, there are approximately 58 million freelance workers. In the next five years, the number is projected to reach a stunning 86.4 million and become the US majority workforce.

If you currently work as a freelancer or plan to become one, there is one area that requires careful attention. Online data safety can influence your career as a freelancer, for good or bad.

So, how to stay safe online as a freelancer?

The post-pandemic rise of freelance workers

Remote work – the after-effect of the pandemic – has become an acceptable way of working in many countries.

Statistics suggest that remote work will not only stay in the upcoming years but will become a permanent fixture.

The same applies to freelance workers. The trend of freelance work is not new and is increasing globally. Even in 2019, Google’s workforce had more freelancers than permanent workers (54% and 46%, respectively).

Currently, 58% of non-freelancers are thinking of trying out self-employed work in the future.

And while this type of work offers flexibility and provides an idealized nomadic lifestyle, it comes with its own online safety risks.

What digital security risks do freelancers face?

A self-employed person is usually responsible for every part of his business’s success. A freelancer has to search for clients, get the job done, pay taxes, and protect clients’ sensitive data.

It is not that easy to stay safe online as a freelancer.

While companies have advanced IT architecture (or an entire team of IT professionals), freelancers have to take care of it by themselves.

Regardless of their specialization, freelancers face many cyber risks:

• Since they do not have in-depth cybersecurity knowledge, they might make a costly mistake without being aware of it;
• Since they do not have an in-house team of developers and cybersecurity specialists, they do not get notified about vulnerabilities;
• Like all other people, freelancers can also become a target of many cyber attacks.

Some of the mistakes might only cost a loss of access to a social media page. Yet, a successful cyber attack can leak clients’ data, access sensitive documents, disrupt activity, or even cause a financial crisis.

If you are a freelancer or thinking about becoming one, make sure to know how to stay safe online to protect your own and clients’ data.

How to stay safe online as a freelancer?

Cybersecurity basics are not rocket science. Once you get a grasp of what works, it is easy to stay safe online.

Here are the 5 main rules you should follow to stay safe online as a freelancer. If you follow them, you will already successfully avoid most cyber threats.

• Do not get tempted to follow the easiest path. Never risk sharing passwords in plaintext. If accessed by a cybercriminal, plaintext passwords are easy-to-steal. Always look for encrypted solutions for storing, sending, and managing sensitive data. For example, send a password over an encrypted password manager.
• Always back up important data and files. This will protect you from accidental data loss – pieces of code, photos for a project, or texts for a new advertising campaign.
• Do not transmit files while connected to public wifi. Free public wifi poses some serious cybersecurity risks. If you have no choice but to log in to the network, never send files, passwords, or other critical information. Use mobile data to transfer valuable data.
• Beware of phishing scams – one of the most common cyber threats everyone can face. Phishing is an effective social engineering-based cyber attack to steal passwords, credit card details, and sensitive information, or gain access to valuable accounts. Do not fall into the trap. Learn to recognize such emails.
• Use a password manager to share and store passwords. An encrypted password manager is the most reliable way to send and receive sensitive credentials from clients. It is also the most secure tool for keeping those passwords. Password managers, even if used for a lifetime, do not cost as much as a data leak. They cannot even compare to it. Try them out.

The best and most-payed freelancers cannot afford to make common cybersecurity mistakes and put their clients’ data at risk. Follow the steps above and stay safe online as a freelancer.

It is easy once it becomes a habit.

And it is undoubtedly worth it.