7 Security Tips for Your Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

More and more different types of the internet of things devices (IoT) are being invented every year. Along with this technology development, there is also an increase in security threats. This makes it all the more important for you to take the security tips to protect your sensitive data on the smart device. The following are 7 security tips for your IoT devices.

Avoid Accessing Important Sites on Public WiFi

To stay secure while surfing online, you should avoid using public WiFi to access important accounts like bank account and online wallet. Other people can discover all your surf activities on a shared network. The best is that you access these accounts using your home WiFi. To enhance the security of your WiFi, you should set up a strong password and update it with a new password every month.

Install a Mobile Security Program on Your Smartphone

If you regularly use your smartphone, you can install a mobile security program. The mobile security program can protect your privacy when you are using the mobile phone to surf online. It has built-in virus scanning capability that can scan your mobile phone for virus and malware infection. It may also provide online storage to allow you to backup your files. In case you accidentally lost your phone, you can access the online storage to recover your files. Some also have a parental control feature to allow you to control what content your kids can access online when they are using your mobile phone.

Switch to a More Secure Router

You can use a more secure router for setting your Wifi network at home instead of using the free router provided by your ISP. After setting up the router, you can check out their privacy policy. It may be in a PDF document stored on a disc that comes with the router. You can use a PDF editor to open the privacy policy document and find out information such as if they will sell your data to the third party and how to install updates.

The PDF editor is equipped with tools that help you read the content of the document easily. For example, you can rotate a page from horizontal to vertical orientation for easy viewing. It is easy to use, and you don’t have to read a tutorial to learn how to rotate pdf file. You click on the rotate button to rotate the document.

Segment Your Network

If you keep a lot of IoT devices at home, you can create a separate network for them to improve the security of sensitive data. You can segment a network with at least 2 routers. You can create a network for normal computing devices and another network for IoT devices. If a normal computing device gets infected with malware, the firewall of the network will prevent it from spreading to an IoT device. You can increase the network segmentation by adding more routers. It is harder for hackers to hack into your device when you have more segments in your network.

Set Up a Firewall

Setting up the firewall in your network can also prevent malicious mischiefs from intruding your devices. When you turn on the firewall, only data that meet certain criteria can pass through. Windows has a firewall, but you can enhance it by installing a third-party firewall software. Once the software is installed, it will ask for your permission every time a program wants to run on your computer. It also has its extensive database of approved programs to ensure that unauthorized program will not run on your computer.

Install Security Patches

You must promptly install security patches to ensure that there is no hole for hackers and viruses to enter into your computer systems. These security patches are available from time to time and can be found in the system update folder of your computer. If you are running Windows, you will find it automatically resetting to install the security patches. If you run Ubuntu, it will display a notification to inform you that updates are available and you are to give permission to install them on your computer.

Turn off Connected Devices That are Not in Use

You should turn off your devices when they are not in use to prevent hackers from connecting to them. Not all IoT devices require an internet connection all the time. For example, devices like smart TV don’t need a constant internet connection. Devices with microphones and video cameras are particularly vulnerable to hackers attack so you should disconnect them when possible. Some devices offer adjustable settings for different connectivity features. For example, you can disable a certain feature like voice control if you suspect that there is malicious activity on it. You can enable the feature back afterwards if you want.

SHARE
Previous articleFilm capacitors: Robust DC link capacitors
Next articleGLOBALFOUNDRIES Files Lawsuits Against TSMC
Electronics Media is an Indian electronics and tech journalism platform dedicated for international electronics and tech industry. EM covers news from semiconductor, aerospace, defense-e, IOT, design, tech startup, emerging technology, innovation and business trends worldwide. Follow us on twitter for latest update in industry.