The
hottest new trend on the Internet isn’t a new social network or app. It’s
things. Dubbed “The Internet of
Things”
it refers to any object you can connect to with the Internet. These
"things" include an array of devices and even systems. Home security
systems, connected pill bottles that send you an alert when you
haven’t taken your medication or need a refill, or they might be something as
simple as a light you can turn on or off from your phone. Either way, the
Internet of Things promises to connect more devices than ever before.
However,
as with any new technological development, there are pitfalls that come along
with the benefits. The Internet of Things can make your home more secure with a
security system, but it can also open you up to identity theft and other
cybercrimes. That’s because the Internet of Things is mostly uncharted waters.
The security systems aren’t in place to protect many of the devices yet.
Any time you get a new piece of technology on the Internet of Things, you’re
taking new chances with your online security.
Why You Need to Secure the Internet of
Things
There
are a number of ways that criminals can leverage the Internet of Things to
infiltrate your home. Skilled hackers could use your home’s power signature to
figure out the best time for a burglary. If your car gets hacked, you could
have identity thieves spying on everywhere you go and everything that you do.
Webcams have been hacked on laptops, allowing criminals access to your most
intimate moments. Even if there’s no property crimes or violent crimes
committed, you don’t want to be violated in this way.
It’s
simply a truism of Internet usage that your identity and computer activity is
only as strong as its weakest link. The problem with the Internet of Things is
that there are a lot of weak links for you to lock down. Theoretically
speaking, it might not be the centerpiece of your new Wi-Fi home security
system that’s your undoing, but the simple device that you use to tell whether
or not a door has been opened. From there, hackers can work backward from that
to your security system, to your wireless network, to every device on it.
Everything is connected.
How to Secure Your Home in the Age of
the Internet of Things
It’s
true that there isn’t a lot of protection in the dawn of the Internet of
Things. It’s also true that there aren’t a lot of dangers out there. Much of
what has been described above are theoretical abilities, rather than
tried-and-tested hacks. You’re in a brave new world of connectivity, but so are
criminals looking to use the Internet to their advantage. While you’re in
uncharted waters, there are still some ways to maximize your protection:
- Secure your home
wireless network. Remember that almost all of these devices will run off
of your wireless network. The more secure that is, the harder it will be
to victimize you. Hackers tend to look for low-hanging fruit.
- Use several
emails. If, for example, you have an email for your connected pill bottle,
and another for your connected car, you’re not as vulnerable as someone
who has all of their information associated with one account linked across
several devices.
- Always update
the firmware on your connected devices. This is as important as updating
the operating system and Internet security suite on your computer and
mobile devices. When hackers start to attack the Internet of Things,
they’re almost always going to use known exploits to do it, the kind that
are patched when firmware updates.
- Remember that
your main laptop computer is part of your overall connection to the
Internet of Things. So make sure to update your operating system and
Internet security suite, as well as all the apps on your laptop. That’s
the best way to ensure overall security on your system.
Digital Africa Conference and Exhibition 2016
edition is Themed “Accelerated Development for Africa with IoE (Internet of
Everything)” holds from the 1st – 3rd of June, 2016 at the International
Conference Centre, Abuja.
The
Internet of Things offers a lot of promise, but it also offers peril. Most of
the perils can be avoided by using common cyber sense.
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