IoT Security – handy tips to keep you and your ‘things’ safe…
So, if you’re either one of your parents, or getting older before your time, in fact, if you’re not a Millennial, you probably find yourself saying, “well isn’t that clever” or, “what will they think of next”, a couple of times a week. OK, a day.
That’s because whether we’re tapping away on a laptop like I am now, or picking up a mobile phone, or even turning the TV on, there’s a level of interconnectedness.
My watch talks to my phone to tell me when someone’s sent me a text, or calling, and then tells an app on my phone how far I’ve run, when I manage to get out from behind said laptop. It’s clever beyond words really. Every device now is designed to keep us in touch. In touch with one another, the world, news, sport, anything. We can now passively consume data by devices pushing content to us. Clever, huh…
So the ‘Internet of things’, is not so much a device or ‘thing’, but more the description of what all these devices do. They connect. They connect to you and to each other.
If you could see the wireless connections in your house, it would probably look like one of those impossible-to-pass corridors from, well Mission Impossible. You know, the ones with the lasers.
Anyway, with all the clever stuff, comes the inevitable threat. These wireless connections are a two-way street, so although they allow information to pass freely between devices, they are vulnerable. That is unless you know what to look for and make precautions.
Just like anything made up of component parts, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and if you’ve got preset passwords or very simple default ones that you haven’t changed, this could be a hacker’s gateway. This is just one way you can be in danger…
Steps to be IoT safe
Use the tech, and embrace the advances but be mindful of your own security, always.
