7 simple steps to protect your smart home from being hacked

The need for smart homes

A smart home is a home that is fully connected and all the appliances in the home has internet connection with each other. When you turn your home into a smart home, you are able to become technologically high and there are a lot of other things that could become simple and easy in a smart home.

• Access to internet from every corner of the house
• Controlling the home remotely
• Saves times
• Cost friendly
• Prevents communication costs
• Enhanced flexibility

There could be smart doors installed which can be opened remotely and there could be no more forced entry to them. But still, there are the chances for the security cameras and the home monitors to get hacked even without the knowledge of the user. The connected refrigerators could also be infiltrated to spy on food habits and food spending.

Smart devices in smart homes

There are a lot of devices which could be operated by using remotes like online portals and applications. So to get you and your home protected from such hacks, the users must have to get their homes and the connected home appliances and devices secured. The phones and computers should also be kept secure from such hacks as they control those devices. This means that the most important thing to prevent your smart home from such hacks is to keep the hackers out of your mobile accounts and emails.

Strategies used by the hackers

• On a routine basis, hackers use a lot of strategies like they can do the phishing of scams so that they could steal the passwords and username of the account.
• They could post the legitimate establishment or banks to trick the users.
• Consumers should be aware of the fact that they don’t need to give any personal information like email or any other details to anyone asking for it.
• Whenever you are using a website, make sure that it is safe or don’t put any detailed personal information on a website when it’s about making a purchase online.
• There could be no precautionary measures that can be used to prevent your personal details to get hacked even if you try your best but still there could be some of the actions which could be taken by you to lessen the risk of hacking and to keep your home secure.
• Using multifactor authentication

Whenever you suing a website online, you need to use an additional authentication factor that is used behind the password which is now considered to be so much necessary. It is now regarded as the main part of computer security for the prevention of smart home hacking. When it’s about keeping your passwords strong and safe, you just need to make sure that you try at your maximum level. The added level of security authentication which is used to keep the passwords safe might include the one-time code or a security key which is received by your mobile phone on a text or by a phone call to help your password getting saved from the third parties and from the outside applications which can be used to control them.

Password authentication methods

There could be a lot of applications and websites which offer two-step authentication of the code for the users by getting into some specific settings. The other methods could also be used which include the biometric verification like the eye scan and thumbprint. These are some of the methods which are used for password authentication. The good news for the users is that if a hacker tries to steal the password and the username using any of the strategies, there would be the last chance for him to get access to the email address and other sensitive details if the user has used the two-factor authentication for the safety of passwords.

• Don’t use unknown devices

To secure your home, users need to be careful while using electronic devices. Make sure that you never pick up an unfamiliar USB or a CD to use in your computer. Though this is obvious for most of the users still this is the key tip that this should be included in security measures to prevent from getting hacked. People might often use unknown devices to store data especially when there is an urgent need but they should avoid doing so because it could be too problematic for them in the future. Such unknown devices are regarded to be the most used by hackers for hacking sensitive data and details about the consumers.

• Security updates

Almost everyone knows the system update feature on their mobile devices and normally the people opt for download later but they don’t have the idea that doing so and postponing the system update can cause serious malware attack on their device. Almost all of the smart home devices don’t get updated automatically so for preventing the smart home vulnerabilities it is necessary that the users must open the update option of their smart light bulbs and refrigerators to check for the firmware updates on the devices. Even when the user is buying some smart device from the store, the users must check the available updates since the time that device was manufactured till when you are there to purchase it. The key reason for these updates is the risk of hacking present on the devices.

• Installing virus protection software

The consumers must install some sort of malware protection applications on their computers and phones. There could be a lot of applications which can be used for prevention of devices from malware virus. These applications are so important because they contain built-in firewalls which let you choose the apps you want to run on your computer and phone. While the antivirus programs are supposed to provide a maximum 50 percent protection from the virus but still there is no harm if you install such application on your device. This is not the guarantee that your device will remain virus-free for the rest of time.

• Avoid using public internet connections

It is very easy for the hackers to hack the WIFI available at public spots. You need to make sure to switch off your WIFI option from preventing it to get automatically connected to the public WIFI networks and the shared connections like all those which are at coffee shops or airports.

• Use different networks for the devices

It is the most important that you segregate the internet connections for the reduction of the hacking risks in multiple devices. Users are advised to buy separate internet connections or they can also split the existing internet connection they are using.

• Change login details

Most of the devices which you buy come with default passwords and usernames which could be easily hacked by the online forums. You for the sake of preventing smart home cyber attacks need to change the basic usernames and passwords on the newly bought devices. Such devices also include smart appliances and smart refrigerators. You can switch the password to a tough combination of words, numeric, capitalization and the symbols.

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