Are you a proud owner of an ever-growing smart home? As security systems, alarm monitors, and light controls become smarter, cyber threats are also becoming more sophisticated. Keeping your data and devices safe is essential to enjoying this emerging technology, as even minor breaches can result in headaches. Don’t worry, though! You can take easy steps to protect your smart home from online intruders. Here are some of them:
Create unique log-ins for each device
Using the same password for everything is convenient, but it’s a security nightmare. If one of those accounts is breached and the password exposed, hackers now potentially have the keys to all the other accounts on which you used that password.
Instead, create a unique password that you can remember but that others won’t be able to guess. You may want to use a random password generator to produce hard-to-guess codes and a password manager to remember them all for you. Source: PCMag
Connect smart devices to a separate network
Many home internet routers allow you to sprout a second (guest) Wi-Fi network, which is safely walled off from your main Wi-Fi network. You can use that secondary network as a place to quarantine all of your smart gear so that it lives completely separate from your various computing devices. This way, in the rare chance someone unwanted gains access to your smart devices, the personal data on your laptop, tablet, and so on will remain isolated and safe. Source: NYTimes
Choose trusted brands
Some smart home technologies are expensive and, for many of us, it can be tempting to cut corners and buy the lowest priced product. Consider your options carefully, and keep in mind that choosing based on price alone may come with added risk. You may expect that brand names typically tend to take extra precautions to protect their reputation, which may mean they take security seriously. But even brand names can be hacked. There are no guarantees, so it’s important to research your options appropriately.
When choosing your smart device, consider whether or not it comes with regular software and security updates, and read the privacy policy to understand how personal data on the device might be used after it’s captured. Consider reading customer reviews and conducting research on consumer protection websites. Source: Travelers
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