Is Your Smart Home Secure? 5 Tips to Help You Connect Confidently

With so many smart home devices being used today, it’s no surprise that users would want a tool to help them manage this technology. That’s where Orvibo comes in. This smart home platform helps users manage their smart appliances such as security cameras, smart lightbulbs, thermostats, and more. Unfortunately, the company left an Elasticsearch server online without a password, exposing billions of user records.

The database was found in mid-June, meaning it’s been exposed to the internet for two weeks. The database appears to have cycled through at least two billion log entries, each containing data about Orvibo SmartMate customers. This data includes customer email addresses, the IP address of the smart home devices, Orvibo usernames, and hashed passwords.

More IoT devices are being created every day and we as users are eager to bring them into our homes. However, device manufacturers need to make sure that they are creating these devices with at least the basic amount of security protection so users can feel confident utilizing them. Likewise, it’s important for users to remember what risks are associated with these internet-connected devices if they don’t practice proper cybersecurity hygiene. Taking the time to properly secure your devices can mean the difference between a cybercriminal accessing your home network or not. Check out these tips to help you remain secure when using your IoT devices:

• Research before you buy. Although you might be eager to get the latest device, some are made more secure than others. Look for devices that make it easy to disable unnecessary features, update software, or change default passwords. If you already have an older device that lacks these features, consider upgrading.
• Safeguard your devices. Before you connect a new IoT device to your network, be sure to change the default username and password to something strong and unique. Hackers often know the default settings of various IoT devices and share them online for others to expose. Turn off other manufacturer settings that don’t benefit you, like remote access, which could be used by cybercriminals to access your system.
• Update, update, update. Make sure that your device software is always up-to-date. This will ensure that you’re protected from any known vulnerabilities. For some devices, you can even turn on automatic updates to ensure that you always have the latest software patches installed.
• Secure your network. Just as it’s important to secure your actual device, it’s also important to secure the network it’s connected to. Help secure your router by changing its default name and password and checking that it’s using an encryption method to keep communications secure. You can also look for home network routers or gateways that come embedded with security software like McAfee Secure Home Platform.
• Use a comprehensive security solution. Use a solution like McAfee Total Protection to help safeguard your devices and data from known vulnerabilities and emerging threats.

And, as always, to stay updated on all of the latest consumer and mobile security threats, follow @McAfee_Home  on Twitter, listen to our podcast Hackable?, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.

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