Many people in this world still live in old-fashioned homes where the pinnacle of technology is their home PC with its wireless network. However, times are changing and a fair amount of people have already moved into smart homes.
A smart home or a smart house is a specially designed place where everything can be controlled from your devices such as your phone or your laptop. You don’t want your home to be too cold when you arrive from work, no problem, just set it up through your smartphone when you leave work. Your home will be warm for you. This works the same for all of your appliances and even your vacuum cleaner if you have a smart house. You need a good connection to the Internet and that is it. But, seeing that all of this gets done online, can you fall victim to cyber-attacks performed by hackers? Unfortunately, the answer is positive. That is why you should read on and learn what you can do to secure your smart home as much as possible and prevent something bad from happening.
Safe Wi-Fi network
In order for a smart home to work, you must have a reliable Wi-Fi connection. All of the connected devices, appliances, and tools are connected to your network and that is why you need to do everything to secure it. Secure the router because if your router gets attacked by a hacker, your whole home is at risk. Vulnerable networking devices are a target and it has been recorded that a few hackers managed to make their way into a smart home by taking control of these devices. You should look into encryption methods before investing in a Wi-Fi router since that is what will essentially keep you safe. Oh, also check out the privacy policy of the company just to make sure that your info doesn’t get shared with anyone.
Take note of each device
Seeing that a smart home is a complex system of connected devices, it would be smart to have a thorough walk through your house and make an inventory. It is recommended that you figure out how many devices you have in your smart house because you have to make sure you have accounted for every gadget on the network.
Even the speakers that may be tucked behind a plant belong to your network. Thermostats are often overlooked as well as things such as baby monitors. Failing to note all of the devices down makes you more prone to an attack. Also, remove the devices that do not require a constant connection to the Internet. You should know exactly what you have connected because it is important to know where to look should something seem suspicious.
Browse safe
Every connected device can be the target of an attack, even your phone. That is why you need to tread carefully and browse the web safely. This includes:
- An antivirus software
- A VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- Carefully selecting the websites from which you download data to your phone or personal computer.
It doesn’t matter how well-protected some sites are, even the best torrent sites can become prey for a predator. Always keep your security software up to date and avoid suspicious websites along with suspicious emails that arrive in your inbox. No one from Nigeria ever made a money transfer worth millions of dollars to anyone. You can rest assured that something of that sort never happened.
Change the default settings
As soon as you walk in and start getting accustomed to your smart home, change the default settings. Change your username, change your password. No one except you should know your password, since your whole house relies on it. Also, keep all devices and software up to date. Do not postpone. This is especially important with the antivirus software. With every new day come new threats and viruses. Companies who deal with neutralizing them then have to patch things and release updates. Therefore, not updating could be a costly mistake.
Summary
Pay attention to every detail. Lock your doors, windows and check your camera footage. The rest of the instructions are above. Technology can help as much as it can harm. Be careful.