Smart appliances are quickly becoming standard household features today. Given this reality, it’s high time that even the most basic security measures—which have proven highly effective—be made absolutely essential. It is not enough for homeowners to wait and react only after a keyless entry or smart thermostat has been hacked. By using good security hygiene, users can significantly reduce the likelihood that their accounts will be compromised. This smart, proactive approach helps them better protect their networks and sensitive data.
Experts emphasize that the first step in securing smart devices involves disabling unnecessary features or remote access options that are not critical for everyday use. Most appliances are loaded with technology these days, but if you leave these capabilities turned on, it can create openings hackers can use to their advantage. Consumer actions Homeowners should make checking devices part of their home maintenance routine. Disable any superfluous capabilities to reduce your risk of being targeted by successful attacks.
Establishing Strong Network Security
The first and most important line of defense against cyber intruders starts with the home Wi-Fi network. Utilizing unique and complex passwords is crucial. The federal government’s cybersecurity experts recommend choosing passwords that are at least 12 characters long and use a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Further, turning on WPA3 encryption provides you with a more sophisticated security protocol than its predecessors. This protects the data communication through the entire network. As such, hackers will face enormous obstacles should they attempt to do so.
Mitigating these vulnerabilities at the point of smart device first use—and during future updates—is just as critical. Typically manufacturers ship devices with default credentials that are publicly available and easily obtained. Homeowners need to be sure to always change these default usernames and passwords right after they install them. In the process, they drastically reduce the chance of a breach occurring and improve their security posture as a whole.
Implementing Additional Security Measures
Network segmentation offers a further line of defense when it comes to protecting smart home devices. Homeowners should set up virtual local area networks (VLANs), or separate guest networks. On a consumer level, this strategy helps guarantee that smart appliances do not affect the function of essential devices like computers and smartphones. If a single appliance were to get compromised, hackers won’t then be able to access sensitive information. This secures the data on other devices across the parent network.
Additionally, activating two-factor authentication (2FA) for any account or service that offers it provides an extra level of protection, including for devices themselves. Most every modern device now supports 2FA and requires users to give some other form of verification besides just a password. You can authenticate via text message code or biometrics. These approaches significantly increase the difficulty for bad actors to breach security and access sensitive information.
Frequent update monitoring
Regularly checking for updates is another key practice to keeping devices secure. Smart appliance manufacturers are often proactive, regularly rolling out patches to fix vulnerabilities discovered post production. Homeowners would do well to try to update every couple weeks or immediately after manufacturers release important security updates. Regularly updating devices will help guarantee that they are equipped with the most recent security improvements.
Best Practices for Ongoing Protection
As strong authentication features such as two-factor authentication and biometric access become available, security is dramatically improved. They do a great job in minimizing the dangers posed by smart devices. Homeowners should take the time to learn what their appliances can do, and turn on features they have at their disposal. This additional layer of security is not only an added security measure but can discourage would-be hackers from even trying to hack the system.
In addition to all of this, regular practice and review of ways to understand and update network security should become a normal and ongoing process. With rapidly changing threats and technology, it’s vital to adjust security measures with them to stay one step ahead of would-be exploits. Like any other home safety or security improvement, homeowners should periodically re-assess their smart home measures to make sure everything is working properly and appropriately.
