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IoT Security: How to Keep Your Smart Devices Safe

The Internet of Things industry is growing amazingly fast, and yet few people understand the risks which are associated with this innovative technology. Read the article to discover the key security challenges and what you can do to keep your devices and data safe.

IoT devices are very popular; according to Juniper Research, the number of units will exceed 50 billion by 2022. It's the equivalent of a 140% growth over the next four years, and it's being driven by the need to process the data closer to its source, rather than doing that away from it, by making use of cloud computing services.

Key Article Points

- Internet of Things devices are here to stay

- Most haven't been built with security in mind

- They are amongst hackers' preferred targets

So, Internet of Things devices are here to stay, and they provide fantastic opportunities for individual users and business owners. However, to deliver the best results, they need to be protected and supported through software patches, as new vulnerabilities are discovered.

Unfortunately, most IoT devices have not been built with security in mind. Maybe their makers were in a hurry, trying to get their products out on the market as quickly as possible. Perhaps adding advanced security features would have doubled the price of the IoT gadget. Or, maybe it wasn't possible to add those features without having to redesign the entire device from scratch.

On top of that, many people forget, or do not take the time to update their devices' software. To give you an example, many of us are eager to buy a smart speaker, because it opens a world of possibilities, but few of us take the time to search for, and then apply the needed security patches.

The data that is exchanged by any of your IoT devices with a smartphone, tablet, computer or the cloud can be intercepted by hackers, who are interested in getting access to it because they want to use it for nefarious purposes. How would you feel knowing that your smart TV is recording all the conversations in your living room and/or bedroom? It may sound like a Sci-Fi movie, but unfortunately it has already happened. And several manufacturers have built toys which record children's voices, sending the data to their manufacturers, as well as to interested third parties.

Since IoT devices do not include strong security features, they are amongst the hackers' preferred targets. The installed malware will often turn the device into a botnet, i.e. a network client which can be used by a hacker to attack other targets either by installing malicious software onto them, or by being a part of a large DDoS attack.

To stay safe, make sure to use strong passwords for all your IoT devices; utilize random strings that have a length of at least 15 characters. Use a balanced mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and special symbols such as "&".

Keep your devices updated. Some manufacturers make this task easier by prompting you to download and install updates whenever they are available. Nevertheless, if one of your IoT devices does not have a screen, you will need to run its companion application periodically to check for updates. This can be a tiring process, but you should do it anyway; it's going to be much easier if you include a monthly "update IoT devices" entry in your calendar.

If your gadgets include two-factor authentication, be sure to turn it on. This extra layer of security should scare most cyber villains away, because they are much more interested in getting access to many devices fast.

Disconnect all your smart gadgets when you do not need them. It makes a lot of sense to turn off a smart speaker while you sleep, for example. And if you run a business, it does not make any sense to keep the intelligent coffee maker on in the evening.

Consider the idea of creating a dedicated wireless network which will only serve your IoT devices. This way, if a hacker manages to get access to one of the devices, he will only be able to compromise the secondary network.

The good news is that a constantly increasing number of vendors have started to add security features to their IoT devices. By making use of those features and following the commonsense rules highlighted in this article you should be able to keep your gadgets safe.