The Internet of Things has taken the world by storm, sneaking its way into our homes and making our living spaces “smarter” than we could ever imagine. You might notice the quotations marks surrounding the the word ‘smart’ — they are there for a reason. This is because the devices we refer to as ‘smart’ can often be, in many ways, incredibly dumb.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a tech geek through and through. I love connected things. From my television and PlayStation all the way down to my programmable Bluetooth button, technology is making my life easier every day.
The problem is that some of these gadgets, appliances and other connected things are about as secure as a wooden lock against a blowtorch. Even one unsecure thing in your home network can be used to access all your other devices. But no worries, since with a bit of common sense and the right equipment, your network and devices will stay safe. Here are a couple tips that will help ensure that your home network stays secure.
Buy secure devices
The reason that a lot of the new things we bring to our WiFi networks have awful security is because making connected things secure is not profitable…yet. New connected devices make us excited, and rightfully so. Manufacturers exploit this enthusiasm by putting minimal investment into making sure these devices don’t compromise the security your home network.
Let’s face it, when we see a YouTube video or read an article about a neat new gadget, our first reaction is usually something along the lines of “Wow, I’m living in the future!” and not “Hmm, I wonder if this device can be used as a weak point to access my home WiFi network”. Security flaws are being exposed all the time, and a quick web search before making your purchase decision could save you from harm. It can also make a statement to companies who don’t respect their customers enough to keep them secure.
Have a secure router
Software has been the main way to secure devices until recently, but depending on how many and what kind of devices you have, this is now either impractical, or downright impossible. While we still may need traditional antivirus to scan some of our devices, an increasing number of our devices are relying on the router as their only line of defense against online threats.
Therefore, it’s essential for any modern connected home to have a WiFi router that is secure, at least containing features like automatic updating which is incredibly essential against threats like Krack (which essentially broke all WiFi encryption overnight). The very best routers, like F-Secure SENSE, contain features specifically aimed at securing not only computers and phones, but all kinds of current and future connected devices.
SENSE’s IoT security technology detects connected devices in your WiFi network and knows if they are behaving in ways they shouldn’t be. By choosing a router like SENSE, you are not only protecting your existing computers, laptops and phones, but all of your connected devices — now and in the future.
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