Security tips for Internet

How will IoT affect regular life?

The internet has become an integral part of our life and it continues to become more and more a part of our daily routine. From work to social needs, the internet has been proven extremely useful and continues to make our lives easier. Just like the classic Internet, IoT will also have the same effect in our day to day life. From complete control over health to transportation, IoT is going to change our future forever. 7 Security tips for Internet of Things

The future of IoT

7 Security tips for Internet of Things

IoT (Internet of Things) is already being called the next digital revolution. With IT giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM investing billions into IoT, you can rest assured that you are going to be hearing about IoT a lot in the coming years. According to a renowned name in the industry, 20.8 billion things will be connected by the year 2020. It’s easy to understand why people are getting obsessed with it as it continues to become more and more a part of our lives. In fact, any new technology that makes our lives easier can make us become obsessed with it. But in this obsession, we must not neglect the risk that comes from using it. With the increasing amount of connected things in the world, the risk of security vulnerabilities is also increasing.

Also Read – Cyberattacks, You can be Next! – AVG antivirus Review

Here are some tips to make your things more secure:

1) Be up to date with firmware

You should never fail to update the firmware of all your things. As soon as the newer version is released the next thing you should do is update it. Often times, the reason an update is released is because the previous version had some newly discovered vulnerability or bug, so a new update with a patch is released by the developer to counter it. Some IoT devices often come with auto software update feature. If you often forget to update your software manually, you can use this feature to update automatically.

2) Use a unique password

As soon as you start using and connecting IoT devices, the first thing you need to do is change the default password. Although it’s the simplest method, it is often overlooked. If possible, use different passwords for every device to ensure maximum safety. Use a mixture of numbers, alphabets, and symbols to make the password as complex as possible.

Also Read – How to Find people using reverse phone lookup service

For example, don’t use a password such as “123456789”, which is extremely easy to guess. Passwords like that are highly prone to hacking. Instead, use a password such as “48te9wfd08f6@*&{759ea7cc040b739ccdea57f6f3bf580aa9a47671a197b25f0707fbadbb7abadd}”.

3) Always buy things from a reliable company

Whenever buying any IoT device, always choose a company which has a good reputation. You can check the reputation of the company by contacting its customers and checking reviews online. You can also take a background check and see if there were any major security problems in the past. In order to check if the business is verified or not just check if there is an EV SSL installed (address bar will turn green, please see the picture below)

Bonus Tip: It is always a better idea to buy the most expensive thing on the market than to later regret being hacked.

4) Never use public internet connections

Taking your IoT device outside? Using public Wi-Fi to connect? NO! Never do that. Public internet connections are usually unsecured and very hacker friendly. Never connect your device to any connection other your home router.

5)  Ensure your Wi-Fi routers are secure

There is a very good chance that your router will be connected to a number of devices. Make sure your router is secured. In order to ensure maximum security for your router you need to follow these steps:

• Keep your software up to date
• Put up a weird name for your router

Also Read – A Step by Step Guide for Killer Follow-up Email

For example. Don’t name your router “Home Wi-Fi” instead put a name such as “e98f78e18430”, that night confuse the hacker.

• Always put up a strong and a unique password
• Many routers have a built in protection firewall system. Make sure it’s on. This adds an extra layer of security to your home router.

6) Connect only when needed

All those things and devices can be exciting to use, but it’s a clever move to only connect devices which you are currently using. Connecting many devices at once may open gaps that can be exploited by hackers.

7) Using secure antivirus applications

Many IoT devices, such as smart TVs, are capable of running applications. Using a free antivirus software application can significantly increase security. Although using paid anti-virus application would be the best choice.

Following these tips will ensure that your IoT security is top notch.