Smart Home Devices at Risk to of Being Hacked

Smart Home Devices at Risk of Being Hacked

We live in fast-changing times. Today’s technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, all with the intent on making practically every aspect of our lives easier, more convenient, and increasingly “hands-off.” From cars that park themselves to homes with “minds” of their own, virtually every aspect of today’s smart technology has one thing in common – they’re all connected to the Internet.

In fact, according to the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, soon there will be billions of sensors built into our modern appliances, security systems, health monitors, door locks, cars and city streets. The purpose of the sensors is to provide a wellspring of important data, such as the energy usage of the certain device, traffic flow, and air quality. Connected health monitors will even be able to alert physicians when a patient is about to have a stroke. Industry experts predict approximately 6.4 billion connected devices will find their way into our homes in 2016 alone.

Unfortunately, all of this innovation and convenience comes at a price.

Smart Homes are Easy to Hack

Back in the day, all you had to do was lock your front door and windows and your home was essentially protected from outside eyes. You would think that with technology advancing at a record pace, security would be easier and more effective. But, that’s the unfortunate side effect of technology. The more convenient your life becomes, the easier it is for others to break into it.

Think about all of the devices in a smart home that are connected to the Internet. Now, imagine if a hacker had the ability to interact with them. Your house would be turned upside down and thrust into a state of chaos. This is a very real threat that affects unsecure smart homes.

Today, even an inexperienced hacker can break into any Internet-connected device, be it a baby monitor, a traffic camera, a personal webcam, or even a new car. Savvy cyber thieves can even access your smart home’s programming to find out when you’re going to be away on vacation so they can burgle your home the old school way. And to make matters worse, it takes just one weak link to be compromised in order for a whole chain of devices to be accessed.

How to Protect Your Smart Home Devices from Cyber Attack

Part of the blame for the ease of infiltration should be placed on the manufacturers of today’s smart home devices. Manufacturers want their devices to be easy to set up and use and as a result, they have to program their devices in the simplest and most straightforward way. Of course, this also means that hackers will have no problem gaining access to them. The burden of security is thereby left to the individual homeowner to bear.

One of the most important things you should do is change the default password for your devices immediately after setting them up. You should also set up your devices so they are only accessible from your private virtual network. The goal is to keep your devices from public view. You’ll still be able to log in from afar, but you’ll only be able to do so through your own private virtual network.

Remember, the more challenging it is for you to set it up, the more challenging it is going to be for a hacker to break into it.