From linked baby monitors to smart speakers — IoT devices are becoming commonplace in modern homes. As a matter of fact, our McAfee Advanced mcAfee.com/activate Threat Research team has uncovered a flaw in one of these IoT devices: the Wemo Insight Smart Plug, which is attached to WI-Fi electric outlet. What’s more – this smart plug, like many vulnerable IoT devices, generates a gateway for possible hackers to compromise an entire home Wi-Fi network. Keep safety at the top of mind when buying an IoT device. These smart home devices must fix to a home Wi-Fi network in order to run. Since it can be challenging to lock down all the IoT devices in a home, and utilize a solution like McAfee Secure Home Platform to offer protection at the router-level.
Now, our researchers have reported this vulnerability to Belkin, and, almost a year after the disclosure, are pending to follow-up. However, regardless if you’re a Wemo user or not, it’s still very important for you to take proactive security steps to safeguard all your IoT devices. Start by following these tips:
Attempting to predict the future in the realm of digital technology, it is often an act of folly or of speculation on par with science fiction. However, one prediction that seems a safe bet is that manufacturers, developers, and researchers will work to attach more and more devices to the internet as part of the growing web of the Internet of Things (IoT).
IoT has experienced an explosion in only the past five years, with devices as diverse as televisions, cameras, vehicles, and even kitchen appliances all being connected via Wi-Fi and routers. And that boom is only ahead speed and also a conventional approximation by technology researcher Gartner. Initiatives around the globe are embracing the new technology as a boon to coordination and productivity.
But as we all know, any growth in digital technology attracts marauders. Always on and always listening devices like Amazon Echo can be co-operated and turned into surveillance devices.
There are many active ways to protect your enterprise against rogue IoT behaviours. Here are the three best:
Control of Your Network
IoT devices are a continual vulnerability as long as they are on the same network as your PC. So the best approach is to hand regarding your network. Be thoughtful about what devices do and don’t have permission to attach to your network. Obviously, you can fix your break room fridge to your network, but the possibility does not create a responsibility. You shouldn’t attach devices unless they are necessary.
Moreover, you can place your IoT devices on a separate network; so that guests accessing them via networked devices are possible simply unplug a device, not in use.
Don’t Abandon Your IoT Passwords and Encryption
Most IoT devices come with a default password from the creator. Unfortunately, many enterprises forget to change this password and use the same password for each IoT device. Obviously, this is a major security flaw.
At the same, check you IoT devices’ data encryption make sure the data stored on networked devices is secure. If you feel it isn’t quite up to par, reflect installing an encryption tool or placing your files in a ZIP file.
Ensure Your Firmware Is Up-To-Date
This is a best practice for all of your devices, IoT or not, but it remains especially true for the latter. Most IoT items will not check the site of manufacturer’s for firmware updates automatically, which leaves them more susceptible to hackers.
Ending Thoughts Treat each IoT device as you would a user and employ a zero-trust model for each of them, monitor their permissions and watch their behavior for malicious activity.
John Woods is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cybersecurity, malware, social engineering, Games,internet and new media. He writes for McAfee products at www.mcafee.com/activate or mcafee.com/activate .
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