Desk Spaces#
A desk space includes any area being used for administrative, school, work, financial, technical, or sensitive household tasks. This may include a dedicated desk, dining table, couch, kitchen counter, temporary workstation, or any other area where a laptop, tablet, phone, paperwork, or notes are being used for important activity.
When using any space as an office or workstation, reasonable precautions should be taken to reduce the risk of information exposure. Screens, papers, notebooks, whiteboards, and devices should be positioned so they are not easily visible to visitors, children, cameras, windows, doorways, or high-traffic areas.
When working with sensitive information, the workstation should be arranged so the user can see openings, doorways, and normal traffic paths when practical. Facing toward openings and traffic areas reduces the risk of someone viewing information from behind the user without being noticed.
Sensitive information should not be left visible when the user steps away from the workspace. This includes account information, financial records, school records, medical documents, work documents, network diagrams, passwords, recovery codes, device configuration notes, or anything else that could expose private or security-related information.
Devices should be locked before stepping away from the workspace, even for a short period of time. This applies to laptops, desktops, tablets, phones, and any other device that may contain sensitive information or provide access to personal accounts.
Physical documents should be turned over, closed, placed in a folder, or moved to a secure location when not actively being used. Sensitive paperwork should not remain spread across a desk, table, couch, or other shared area after the task is complete.
Temporary desk spaces should be cleaned up after use. Devices, removable storage, notebooks, printed documents, and other materials should be returned to their appropriate storage locations once the work session is complete.
Workspaces should be kept reasonably organized to reduce the chance of losing documents, misplacing portable storage, damaging devices, or accidentally mixing sensitive information with unrelated household items.
Cameras, smart displays, webcams, baby monitors, security cameras, and other recording-capable devices should be considered when choosing a workspace. Sensitive information should not be positioned where it may be captured by a camera or reflected in a screen, window, mirror, or glossy surface.
Visitors should not be given unnecessary visibility into active workspaces. When guests are present, sensitive screens and documents should be closed, locked, covered, or moved out of sight.
Food and drinks should be kept a safe distance from computers, paperwork, portable storage, and other electronic devices. This helps reduce the risk of accidental spills, device damage, and document loss.
At the end of a work session, the workspace should be reset to a secure condition. Screens should be locked or powered down, documents should be stored appropriately, portable storage should be removed and secured, and sensitive notes should either be retained securely or disposed of properly.