How to Prevent Your Smart Devices From Getting Hacked

You might have seen or heard stories about hackers getting to home smart devices and having your refrigerator start randomly making ice cubes and, in turn. making you think your home is haunted.

What Can You Do to Prevent Your Smart Home From Getting Hacked?

Smart home device owners must secure their connected appliances and their own online accounts, especially email. Hackers relentlessly send phony emails with links or executables for people to click on so the hackers can ensnare their user names and passwords.

Use Multiple Factor Authentication

A password simply isn’t enough to safeguard you and your home from hacking. The extra level can achieved with a security key or a code received by a call or text. Many apps and sites have two-step authentication that users can set up under their settings. Some smart locks and other devices use biometric authentication, which means a thumbprint or eye scan will unlock a device or app. The Ultraloq UL3 is one smart lock product that offers biometric authentication. Discover what’s available in smart locks by taking a look at these 15 products.

Stay Up-to-Date on Security Updates

Security updates are made to prevent new malware from attacking phones and smart home devices. The trouble is, many smart home devices don’t automatically update, so it becomes vitally important that users check at least monthly to see if there are security updates and to install them if there are updates. Learn more about the evolution of smart home technology.

Install Malware Protection

You should download antivirus software like Norton Antivirus or McAfee antivirus to provide another level of protection. These are some of the problems with smart home technology you need to consider before making the leap.

Stay Off Public Wi-Fi

By now, most people should know the risk they run if they connect to public Wi-Fi. Often, people can be unaware they’re connected to public Wi-Fi because they use the automatically connect function. But you should disable that. You can set up a mobile hot spot or a VPN service for protection against potential hacks. These are the best smart home devices for less than $50.

Keep Your Devices on a Separate Server

If a hacker can get into one device, which is on the same server as the other devices, they will be able to hack all of them. It’s important to keep your computers and devices on separate servers to curb a potential hack. Users can set up a virtual local area network to split an internet connection. A VLAN makes it so if a device is hacked, others will not be affected. A VLAN can be built through an internet connection portal online or through an IT company. Consider these additional steps to keep your smart devices secure.

Change Defaults

Online forums often reveal the default passwords and usernames of popular products so it’s vital to change those settings immediately after installation.

These 100 devices are great at making your home smarter.

As for what those strange sounds in your house might be, apply a little logic and find out what’s really haunting your home.