Examining the Dangers of the “Internet of Things” (IoT)

You may, or may not, have heard of “the Internet of Things” with the acronym IoT. It refers to the many devices that are connected to the Internet. Examples abound, like security cameras, thermostats, smartphones, vending machines, smart speakers (we’re talking about you, Alexa and Siri!) and of course our computers, laptops, and notebooks. When we look at the list of all the devices in a home that are connected in some way to the Internet at any given time, it can easily reach into the 100’s.

Here’s a link to an info-graphic that shows some of the dangers of the IoT: Examining the Dangers of the Internet of Things.

A few of the major takeaways:

• Backup your pictures, your documents, your accounting system and financial records. Make the backups to devices that are offline, like a USB drive in a drawer, or the cloud, or some other backup device that isn’t always connected to the network.
• If you have one of the devices that has known, uncorrectable compromises, get rid of it. In particular, some of the older inexpensive routers
• If you can, change (and remember) the passwords for configuring devices. Have an off-line list of the devices, the user names and the passwords.  If you keep the list on a computer, password-protect the list or encrypt it.
• If you can, apply updates. This is particularly true for computers, laptops, notebooks, and the many different software items that run on them.
• Use a password manager (like LastPass, Dashlane, etc) to manage passwords. This will make it possible to have complex, unique passwords on all those websites without having your head explode.
• Consider using multi-factor authentication (MFA)   And if you do use a physical device, make sure you have more than one, in case you lose that first device.

There is always a balance between convenience and security.  There will always be home or business networks with more security than yours.  You want to have more security than others.  You don’t want to be the slowest gazelle when the lion is chasing your group, and you don’t want to have the least secure network  in your neighborhood. Make it easier to try to hack someone else.

The cheapest, newest devices are often rushed to market without considering security in their design. You should consider it when you bring Internet-of-Things devices into your home or business.