Just how our PC or laptop needs protection or an antivirus solution, our IoT devices too need protection from being hacked. As our smart home devices share a connected bond with the Internet, it makes them more prone to cyber-attacks. IoT (Internet of Things) is the most vulnerable sector which hackers use to invade our private lives.
From our television set to the coffee maker, IoT devices are all around us and it’s our duty to keep these devices safe and secure from hacker’s attack or being infected with malware. IoT devices make our lives simpler and allow us to accomplish the most simple or complicated tasks with ease, making our home smarter with the power of technology. This is the main reason why they’re widely popular among users and why cybercriminals majorly target IoT devices in the first place.
Wondering how to protect IoT devices from being hacked or being infected by malware? Here are a few ways that will help you in creating a smart defense plan to keep your smart home network safe and intact. But before we begin, readers can also try using Advanced Identity Protector, a simple yet robust privacy protection tool that detects and removes all hidden identity traces on your computer. This includes your passwords, login information, credit card numbers alongside other financial and personal details. Users can also choose to lock these detected traces in a Secure Vault to ensure no one but they can access such sensitive information.
Let’s take a quick look!
What makes IoT Devices Vulnerable to Attacks?
One of the main reasons that make IoT devices more prone to attacks is the fact that no regular software updates are released for most of the smart home devices which create more vulnerabilities. Also, there is no mechanism or way how we can add password protection to make our smart home devices more secure and less prone to attacks.
This is what brings IoT devices on the hit list of hackers as they can easily invade into our smart home to exploit our privacy. Here are a few ways that can help you in building a strong and secure smart home network that will help you keep hackers or malware at bay.
Authenticate Your Wi-Fi Network
As almost all smart home devices are connected to our home’s Wi-Fi network, so the first step is to authenticate this connection by either using WPA2 protection or by adding a strong password that hackers can’t crack in first few attempts. Keep your Wi-Fi network as personal as possible and try not to share passwords on multiple devices.
Check Privacy Settings
Before you connect any IoT device to your Wi-Fi network or smart home, make sure that you thoroughly go through the default privacy settings of that respective device. Read the manual properly so that you can make the required customizations in privacy settings to make your smart home devices more secure.
Be Wary of What you Click
This not only holds true for IoT devices but also in every other case when you’re using the Internet. While using IoT devices make sure that you’re reading everything clearly and be wary of clicking something suspicious. If you’re being asked for entering your credit card number or bank details, make sure that you assess all the terms and conditions in detail.
Update Firmware
In order to keep your IoT devices less prone to attacks, maintain a habit of regularly checking for latest firmware updates (if they are available). This will make your smart home devices to up their game against malware attacks, viruses, or any security loophole that may infect your devices.
Upgrade to Newer Hardware
Rather than using the old hardware for years and years and making it an easy target for hackers, you can also try to upgrade to newer hardware of the same device that offers a higher level of security comparatively.
So these were a few tips on how to protect IoT devices from being hacked and to keep the bad guys away from invading into your smart home! We hope you find these useful and practical for your use. If not, please add your suggestions in the comments below and do not forget to follow our YouTube channel.
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