How to Keep Your Internet of Things Safe from Hackers

The ease of accessing technology is such that now you can check sports scores on your refrigerator, communicate with your home’s thermostat from miles away or even turn on your oven remotely with the push of a button. The Internet of things has made it convenient to manage our busy lifestyles, but with them, there’s still a risk of data intrusion.

Vulnerabilities Abound

Anytime you connect a device to the internet, you run the risk of someone hacking you. It might seem a bit too dramatic of a statement on the surface, but even tech experts are telling people to set up devices as if you’ve already been hacked.

The fact remains that when you connect the Internet of things such as your home’s thermostat or refrigerator, it contains information about you from your social media accounts to your profile information. And if hackers are able to gain access to this information, it leads to valuable data they can use to sell to black markets, steal your identity or deploy malware.

How Do I Keep My Internet of Things Safe?

Let’s start with the source of your internet: the router. This is the gateway by which internet traffic flows. Get Safe Online recommends changing the default password for the router–if you lease a router from your internet provider, this is the sticker on the back or side of the box.

How do you change your router’s password? This depends on the router manufacturer. For Linksys routers, you simply press and hold the reset button for 10 seconds. Upon doing this it sets the router to its factory settings including the password.

If you bought your router from a manufacturer, then you can contact them to see how to reset the password. If you leased your router through your internet service provider, contact their tech support as they can help you reset it.

Make Your Passwords Hard to Crack

Speaking of passwords, they are often your best line of defense against hackers. Since every website, app, and email requires passwords, it can be confusing keeping track of all of them, so for some, they set up everything with the same login information. This is a big no-no. After all, if the hacker can gain access to one account, using the same login for everything makes their job that much easier.

The best bet is to use a password manager. They generate and store passwords for you that way you don’t have to remember them. They also specialize in creating complex passwords that are difficult to crack, so when setting up your internet of things, router, and devices with these complex codes, you provide a layer of protection against hackers.

Set a Secure WiFi Connection

Another tip according to Get Safe Online concerns your WiFi connection. They suggest making sure your WiFi connection is WPA2 level–this is where it encrypts the data making difficult for hackers to snoop. You can do this by reading the specifications for routers and selecting one that offers this secure connection.

Meanwhile, if you ever notice you can’t access files on your computer, tablet or phone, allow us to help. Our team at Outsource Data Recovery will be happy to take a look at your device for free and make a recommendation on how we can recover your files in a secure manner. Contact us today to learn more!