Most households today,run a smart home by installing security systems, thermostats, etc., all connected through the internet. Though, these smart technologies are very convenient, these still create a vulnerability in your network.
According to the research architect Brandon Creighton, “The same technology that enables us to build these quite complex devices also creates the potential for security vulnerabilities. And the vulnerabilities will inevitably be found.”
A recent report from HP, the Internet of Things Security Study: Home Security Systems Report, gives some idea of the extent of the problem. According to the report, “HP reviewed 10 of the newest home security systems revealing an alarmingly high number of authentication and authorization issues along with concerns regarding mobile and cloud-based web interfaces. The intent of these systems is to provide security and remote monitoring to a home owner, but given the vulnerabilities we discovered, the owner of the home security system may not be the only one monitoring the home.”
It is, however, practically impossible to stop an intended professional intruder, yet you can take several steps to make the task difficult for them and to reduce simple attacks.
- Make the most of your devices’ security features
Do not set up your devices with their default configurations, as in most cases, the configuration details of most devices can be found by using a simple Google search.Therefore, you need to change the default passwords and other default details of your devices. “We’ve seen that vendors can ship their products in an insecure configuration, but they will have built better security into the tool—you just have to go in and configure it,” Miessler said.
- Be aware of the data each device can capture
“Daniel Miessler, practice principal at HP Fortify On Demand says,” In our recent report, the scariest thing was being able to remotely monitor homes, basically including their video cameras. Because it was security systems that we tested, 10 out of 10 had this problem—it wasn’t just watching the camera, it was also known when you’re home and when you’re not.”
Although, devices of Home Security like security cameras, can help secure your home, but it is important to secure the cameras themselves while setting them up.
- Keep your networks separate
Avoid keeping all your security devices on the same network to prevent hackers accessing everything by breaking through a single network. It is a good alternative to use advanced routers that allow you to set up multiple networks, which is known as “network segmenting.”
- Hide your network
Configure your Wireless router to make your Wi-Fi network invisible to automatic searching. With this, no one will be able to connect to your network without knowing its name.
- Take standard internet precautions
Mostly all the smart devices are connected via the internet. So, make sure not to leave the private access on public computers. Also, secure your phone with primary and secondary passwords for each individual device you access from it.
These are not the guaranteed methods to safeguard your connected homes. But there are some basic steps within the technological reach of the average user that can help discourage an unskilled hacker.