By 2023, there will be 300 million smart homes across the world, according to Strategy Analytics. Some of the most common pieces of technology adopted by homeowners are smart security devices that promise to keep their homes secure around the clock. However, with research from Avast revealing that two in every five smart homes are at risk of being hacked, it’s essential that you take action to safeguard your home’s smart security system and stop hackers from breaking in.
Smart home products fall under the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) category, meaning they rely on WI-FI to do their job. This is often the case with home smart security systems, but, as a homeowner, this kind of setup can leave you vulnerable to hackers. While a secure second Wi-Fi network and complicated hard-to-guess passwords provide some protection, it’s best to install as many devices as possible that work offline. The igloohome smart lock, for example, uses encryption and synchronisation technology to secure your home offline. Plus, you can view an access log and grant entry to your property without having the lock connected to the net, meaning the risk of being attacked by cybercriminals is dramatically reduced.
Research from Jacksonville University reveals that a burglary occurs every 15 seconds. So, you’re sure to want to kit out your home with smart security features, including a smart alarm and smart lights that automatically come on when movement is detected. But as something as simple as a smart lightbulb can be used to trick your home’s smart hub into believing you’re at home and disable your entire smart security network, you need to do all you can to deter hackers from your home. You can do this by disabling your cloud-based router management to prevent your security system from being remotely handled. It’s also worth regularly updating all your IoT software and setting up your router to automatically update when updates become available as this will reduce the likelihood of criminals hacking your system via outdated software.
Avast’s research found that smart security cameras were one of the most vulnerable IoT devices in households across the globe, with 8.3% of them at risk in Singapore and 21.8% at risk in Indonesia. The benefit of having a smart security camera monitoring your property is that you can access the feed at any time and receive alerts when there’s movement in and around your home, but if a cybercriminal hacks your feed then these features are pointless. By installing a camera with two-factor authentication and activating this mode, you log into your security cameras with both a standard username/password combination and a one-time password. This password is sent to a device such as your smartphone and means hackers can only get into your feed if they obtain the onetime code.
Smart home security systems provide homeowners with additional protection in their own homes. But, as hackers will always look for ways to take over these systems, you need to ensure that you’re doing all you can to protect your smart network of home security devices.
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