The Internet of things and your home security

Internet of Things based technology erupted into popularity mainly during the pandemic and is only accelerating in adoption to this day. Some figures project the IoT market to grow to around 1.6 trillion by 2025. In a decade or so, smart home security will be many more people’s business.

Being a relatively young technology, many IoT devices may be susceptible to vulnerabilities and loopholes yet unknown or unaddressed by the manufacturer. This is the reality of it.

To get two things straight right off the bat.

First, often the most common way to hack Internet of Things based systems and household surveillance is by direct targeting. The likelihood that a skilled hacker with the education and dedication to specifically target your house is low.

That is not to say that it doesn’t happen. At the hands of tech-savvy criminal network perhaps.

Second, if a skilled hacker is hell-bent on targeting your home specifically, they can find a way in, and your best bet is to make the task both more difficult and less rewarding if successful.

In the event of an attack, the motives are usually targeted DDoSing for ransoming data, surveillance for robbery when the owner is not home, or installing crypto mining software to mine off your electric grid.

Here are some ways to strengthen your defenses:

Store your data internally. Memory cards with around 150 GB of memory can store your camera footage and overwrite old videos to make room for new ones. for your cameras to feed into assures the footage is stored behind closed doors.

Change your router name. Don’t use your name or family name as the router name, and it is often advised to change the default name as it contains the manufacturer and model. This is information that a hacker can use.

Toughen your password. It always comes back to this. If your password is “password,” you are essentially leaving the house key under the doormat. Get creative, and use a *P@$$Wordz_L1k3 tH!$*. Not that one though.

Invest in the latest security software and firewalls. It may be pricier, but if you believe your house may be targeted for whatever reason, it is a worthwhile investment.

Use guest networks. Pretty much all modern routers can host a secondary network, or guest network. Use that for your home devices and separate it from the rest of your electronics. Better to compromise the smart fridge than your work laptop.

Disable features when not in use. Many Internet of Things devices have features like remote activation and voice recognition. If you are worried about these devices being used to spy on you or gain access from afar, disable them from the devise itself.

Talk less. The good-old street smarts; Don’t say what you don’t need to say. In other words, don’t brag to your pub mates about your shiny new home security system. Don’t tell your mutual friend’s mutual friend about your crypto wallet and how much you made trading.

If you follow these steps, you greatly decrease your chance of a breach from any source and avoid the worst in case of one. Then nobody can use your smart fridge to murder you.