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Could Your “Smart Home” Be The Target of a Hack Attack?
julio 24th, 2017
Last year, the world was made aware of what can happen when hackers gain access to items in our homes that have internet connections. Whether it be your security cameras, bluetooth enabled garage door openers, your thermostat or a baby monitor, your home could be open to an invasion by hackers. Any number of internet connected devices designed to make your home “smarter” needs some attention.
Poor programming by manufacturers is what makes these devices so susceptible to hackers and by their nature, all of these devices come with generic usernames and passwords that most consumers often don’t change. This makes internet enabled devices in your home easy targets. Add to those troubles the fact that laws and regulations have not yet had the opportunity to step in and implement standards for this emerging technology, and the consumer needs to be aware of the dangers in their own homes.
Protect Yourself
Ask yourself…Do I need this device? If it’s just going to be a “toy”, skip the purchase. If you do need the device, make sure to take the steps to lock down the security settings. This means changing the username and password from the factory-programmed default settings. Make sure you regularly check for software updates. Once it becomes common knowledge that hackers can get into a program or device, the manufacturers will issue “patches” to help close the loopholes that hackers have found.
If your gadget is infected with malware, you’ll need to take the appropriate steps to remove the infection from your system. Search the internet for the problem you are experiencing. You will find lots of helpful sites with house information from folks who have figured out how to fix the same problems you are having.
When checking a router, webcam or connected printer, it is important that you change the default administrator username and password. Do this by accessing the appliance’s hub or control panel. You can usually access the hub through a webpage or a smartphone app that is associated with the device.
Finally, the more gadgets you connect to your Wi-Fi network, the more important it becomes that you properly secure your router. Click here for the one thing your router needs to keep hackers out.
