internet of things security - 7 important but simple steps to protect your home network against...

7 Important SimpleSteps to Protect Your Home Network

getcujo.com Securing Connected Homes

www.getCUJO.com Securing Connected Homes

Introduction

Why Security Matters

Every other day when you turn on the news, there is a story of a cyber-security

breach. Today, the hackers are not just targeting corporations anymore. Countless

individuals are hacked every day, some of them for their bank details, others for the

sensitive information they may have on their computers, while some people are just

hacked for the fun of it.

As we become more reliant on technology and our computers, it becomes essential

for us to secure our computers and all devices connected to the Internet, to avoid

unauthorized access to our personal information. Hackers today are more

sophisticated than ever before, and safeguarding your information has never been

more important.

If you want to guard your system against intruders, look no further than this seven-

step guide to home internet security. Discover the different techniques hackers may

use to access your system, and how you can protect yourself from such attacks.


1. Set Strong Passwords

Setting the right password for your computer is the most basic security upgrade you

can carry out to protect your system. Often times we use basic passwords like Admin

or 1234. Such passwords may seem like a good idea to you because they are easy to

remember, but they are also some of the most insecure.

It takes mere milliseconds to hack these simple passwords. Hackers do not usually sit

there trying to guess what your password is, they use automated brute force tools

with advanced algorithms that crack these basic passwords.

When choosing passwords, try using those that are at least seven characters long,

have upper & lower case letters, and contain symbols and numbers. To help you

remember the password, try to make a sentence or a phrase out of it. For example

1L0v3M!Cr05oft for “I love Microsoft” would be a good password to use. If you

change your password to something like this, it would take a hacker more than a year

to decrypt your new password.

Remember not to reuse an old password, and try to minimize repeating the same

password for different websites and devices. Shuffling around your usernames will

also be helpful. In addition, avoid using passwords that involve dictionary words,

names of family members, friends and pets. Sequential keyboard patterns such as

qwerty or 123456789 should also be avoided.

You can opt to download a password manager on the internet. These programs are

designed to help you create a unique and complex password, and to help you manage

these passwords once they have been created. This is done mainly to help reduce the

chances of you forgetting what they are. Programs like SplashID and 1Password are

just a couple of examples of these programs.

Start with changing your computer and router passwords. These may not seem as

vulnerable to hacking as your online accounts but they are by far the least secure.

Change them frequently, at least four times a year. This will help to deter hackers

from trying to access your information.


2. Protect your router

Your router is arguably the most vulnerable connected device in your home. If

hackers take over the router, they will collect information about you without alerting

your anti-virus and anti-malware software. Luckily, safeguarding your router from

unauthorized access is easy, and requires less work than you may think.

The best way to protect your router is to update your router’s firmware (software) at

least quarterly. This will ensure that you have all the latest security updates from the

manufacturer, which should help deter hackers. You can also set a strong password

for the admin console of your router.

Additionally you can use a WPA2 network password (the password that you use to

connect to your wireless network). Here’s a basic guide for Linksys routers (Google

‘change router WPA2 password’ for your own brand of routers or call your internet

provider): http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=139152.

Besides changing the passwords, you can also change the name of your network to

something unique. Hackers usually avoid networks where the default name has been

changed as it shows better security measures may have been put in place.

Turning off SSID broadcasting is another way to protect your router. By turning off

broadcasting, you make it virtually impossible for anyone to log on to your network

without the network ID, as it will not show up on the normal lists. To log on to a

hidden network requires an individual to know the network ID and password.

Network monitoring software such as Fing can also help you secure your network.

With this type of software, you will be able to see which other devices are logged on

to your network, and control what devices can access the aforementioned network.

Network monitoring software will also give you all the information you need to know

about the devices around you, including IP addresses, MAC addresses and host

names. If you have trouble with this step, email us at [email protected] and we will try

to help.


3. Use A Secure Browser

Mainstream browsers like Internet Explorer are most often targeted by hackers

because of their popularity and reach. They are also prime targets due to the

numerous plugins that many of these browsers use in an attempt to give you the best

browsing experience.

Secure browsers are browsers that have a wide range of security features, and are

geared towards minimizing the loss of data, and deterring hackers from trying to

break into your system. They also try to minimize the risk of you encountering

malware or phishing sites by using URL filtering amongst a host of other features.

These days, most browsers have the ability to let you alter the privacy settings on

them. As much as you can tweak these settings to try and give yourself the most

secure browsing experience possible, the popularity of some browsers is such that

their security protocols are known by hackers and so they are easier to bypass.

Getting a secure browser is important because your browser “knows” a lot about you,

or rather, your online persona. Browsers can record information such as email

addresses, bank account details and usernames and passwords for various websites.

Enjoy a much more secure browsing experience with the Tor browser (see

https://www.torproject.org). The Tor browser is a modified Mozilla Firefox ESR

browser that is available for Windows, Linux and iOS. The Tor network routes

internet traffic through a series of worldwide volunteer networks to conceal the

location of users that use it. If you want to stick with mainstream browsers, we

suggest using Chrome as the safest alternative.


4. Anti Virus Is Not Enough

Society today is always connected to the internet, and we have become so used to it

that we have forgotten some of the ways that it makes us vulnerable. Cases of

cybercrime are on the increase every year, and protecting yourself from malware

attacks, identity theft and bank fraud is becoming harder to do. Protecting your

computer with only an antivirus program is simply not enough anymore as these

programs will protect you only against the most basic of threats.

Antivirus software was developed at a time when the internet was still growing, and

connectivity was minimal. For this reason, it provides minimal protection against

online activity. Antivirus software was designed to remove infections that slow

performance, neutralize malicious programs, spam and unsafe downloads, and were

not optimized to deal with online activity. Antivirus programs alone do not easily

deal with phishing scams, direct hacks and other online dangers, leaving you

vulnerable to these threats every time you log on to the internet.

Cyber security organizations such as Symantec have even gone to the extent of saying

that antivirus software is dead. They argue that malware written by today’s hackers is

so advanced that many antivirus programs can take weeks, sometimes even months

to detect and neutralize malware. Furthermore, what one antivirus program catches

another may miss, while some of the programs completely miss the malware

altogether, raising concerns about the inconsistency of these programs.

One of the best solutions to this problem is to install free anti-malware software by

Malwarebytes. This program scans and removes malware, including adware, spyware

and rogue security software. Make sure to set it so that it runs and updates

automatically multiple times a week. Other solutions include programs that provide

you with complete 360° protection that incorporates not only antivirus solutions, but

also antispyware, antimalware, browser and social media protection, and identity

theft protection among other features. Remember that such software alone will not

keep you safe and your connected devices such as wearables will remain vulnerable

to cyber threats. Apply the other steps in this document to secure your internet of

things connected device.


5. Disconnect When Not In Use

Disconnect devices when not in use. This especially applies to anything that can be

hacked, from smartphones and your computer to your router. Other household

appliances that connect to the internet that people never think about, such as smart

televisions and wireless printers should also be disconnected when not in use.

Baby monitors and other home cameras are especially vulnerable to hackers as not

only do they allow a hacker access to your network but they also can supply a hacker

with a unique way to survey your property. Hackers can take over cameras and

record videos or pictures when you least expect. They will even disable the light that

indicates when the camera is on to fool you into thinking that the camera is off.

Some hackers have even gone to the extent of switching webcams back ON when they

have been switched off because the device that they are connected to is still

connected to the internet. A 2013 investigation carried out by the BBC showed that

cases of webcam hacking have gone up in the last few years. Childnet International,

the UK charity that seeks to make the internet a safer place for children, has even

recommended that children and teenagers not only disconnect their webcams, but

also that they never leave their webcams in private places such as their bedrooms.


Disconnecting your devices will not only help protect your system, but it will also

minimize the number of doors that hackers can use to access your system and steal

your information. Having access to just one device on your network makes it easier

for a hacker to gain access to all the other devices that are sharing the same network.

Not only that, but it also becomes easier for them to access files stored on those

devices, even if they are not in a shared folder.

To disconnect them simply unplug them from their power or Internet source, and if

they connect to WiFi, turn off their WiFi connectivity. You should never disconnect

devices that provide physical home security such as your security cameras.


6. Public Internet Networks

You should be familiar with public WiFi networks. They are in our favourite coffee

shops, libraries, bars and even some forms of public transport. However, when

speaking to cyber security experts about public networks, one piece of advice that

you will hear from all of them is “Do not do anything sensitive on a public WiFi

network. Do not do any bank transactions, do not check your email, and do not even

log on to social media.”

This advice should never be ignored because credit card security and privacy is most

vulnerable when we connect to ‘guest’ networks in public spaces such as coffee shops.

This vulnerability stems from the open nature of these WiFi networks. Public

networks are usually not encrypted, as with many of them you do not need to put in a

password as you would on your personal network. This allows anybody who is on the

network to see what unencrypted WebPages you are visiting, and what you are typing

into unencrypted web forms. It also allows people to view what encrypted pages you

are viewing.

It’s not just experienced hackers that have access to this information. With browser

tools like Mozilla’s Firesheep, anybody has the capability to snoop on other people’s

browsing sessions when they are on a public network. Programs like this also allow

an individual to hijack your session, especially if they gain access to your cookies.

More advanced browser tools such as wireshark allow the individual to capture and

analyze traffic so they can weigh which session would be most profitable to hijack.

If you have to use public WiFi, make sure that you access only encrypted WebPages.

Browsers that use the HTTPS extension can also help you by redirecting you to

encrypted sites when they are available. Going through a VPN network will also help

to increase your privacy when on public networks. Any potential hackers trying to

observe your session may be able to see that you are on a VPN, but they it will be a lot

harder form them to see what you are doing on it.

Remember, if you are using public WiFi networks, we strongly urge you not to enter

credit card data or other private information when connected to such networks. Also,

don’t log into your bank accounts from such networks.


7. Stay Vigilant

Ultimately, the best way for you to protect your connected devices and your

information from hackers and malicious programs is to stay vigilant. Make sure that

you know everything that is going on with your computer, with your connected

devices, and with your network. Remember that malicious programs, such as

malware, adware and spyware can mimic other potentially harmless programs so

make sure you obtain all your programs from trusted and respected sources.

We live in an age where everything is one click away, and as we become more reliant

on the internet, better security measures are coming in to play. However, those

increased safety measures only serve to drive the creativity of the hackers that are

bent on cracking them. As much as your antivirus is configured to alert you on the

dangers of certain downloads, hackers are finding various ways to bypass those

protocols that detect malicious code.

You may think that what you are downloading is a harmless mp3 file from a music

website, yet that file may have code embedded in it that allows a hacker to access

your files and steal information from your computer. There are also many downloads

on the internet that “require” you to download some form of toolbar or download

manager. Though some of these may be legitimate, there are a large number of them

that are used to mask more sinister code, which open up your system to cyber

attacks.

When checking your email and other messages, try never to click on a link, especially

if you do not know the sender. Some of those links will take you to phishing sites

which may look very similar to the site that you want to access but are ultimately just

websites set up to steal your personal login information. When asked to click on a

familiar looking link in a message, it is always better to manually type in the link

rather than follow the hyperlink to reduce the chances of you stumbling on to a

phishing site.


Conclusion

The security of your home computer depends greatly on how it is used and for what

purposes. Many people do not think twice about the way they use the internet, and

would rather trust in the fact that most, if not all, of the websites they are visiting are

safe and secure and most of all private.

The safety of your files depends on who has access to them. If you leave all the

“doors” to your digital world open then inevitably at one point or another somebody

is going to access them. By leaving your router on when you are not using it, or by not

disconnecting devices that are not in use from the network, you leave yourself

vulnerable to cyber attacks that could cripple your whole network.

By applying our suggestions above, you will take a strong step towards keeping your

home and your information secure. Please be sure to check our site at

www.getcujo.com and our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/getCUJO

often for more security tips.

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