Reporting Incidents While Out of the Office
How and when to speak up if something goes wrong remotely
When you notice something strange while working from home, such as a suspicious email you've already opened, a file you don't recognize or unusual access to your account, the temptation is to solve it yourself or wait until you're back at the office to mention it, but that delay is exactly what most benefits an attacker. Outside the office environment the IT team isn't just around the corner, so it's best to know in advance what the reporting channel is, whether an email, a chat or a contact number, and not waste time looking for it right when the incident has already happened. Reporting quickly, even if you're not sure it's serious, is always better than staying quiet for fear of overreacting or being reprimanded, because many incidents that are controlled in time only become serious because of a delay in reporting them. Keeping that emergency contact handy, just as you would a technical support number, is simple preparation that makes all the difference when it's really needed.