How does the smart home era safeguard our privacy?

OFweek smart home network news: smart home is increasingly popular, electric lights, thermostats (regulators), televisions and even microphones and other everyday furniture are becoming increasingly intelligent, just need a simple command language or app-side feedback instructions, without You can complete the room temperature setting, switch lights, or record TV programs in advance.

What does this mean?

Along with the convenience brought by smart homes, side effects follow. When these devices (data) are "black", users may lose important property data or health information.

Even the large-scale attacks that were difficult to accomplish in the past also benefited from the fragile firewalls of high-volume devices. The hackers were able to create a wide range of network flaws, just like what happened in October last year. Major websites such as Netflix, Spotify, Airbnb, Reddit, Etsy, SoundCloud and The New York Times were affected.

However, perhaps it is still a new relationship, and the proportion of being “black” is not too high. According to research data given by an organization (Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company), only 10% of U.S. consumers call it Equipment has been "black" experience. However, the average amount of damage suffered by these victims reached US$1,000-5,000.

“This type of 'looking, eye-popping, cool thing' is still going on,” said Lee Tien, an e-sentinel foundation lawyer. “This type of thing has always been very disturbing to us.”

Naturally, with the increasing popularity of smart home devices, the area of such victims will also grow. Therefore, the security protection of smart home devices is becoming more and more important. The following are some suggestions from cyber security experts in the field of smart homes.

Survey before buying

Similar to products such as smart microphones, lighting systems, or televisions, the top recommendation is a trustworthy brand before purchase.

Liviu Arsene, an expert from the well-known security software brand Bitdefender, suggests that brands such as Amazon and Google will take product security into account when developing products. So, before buying, remember to check if the manufacturer of this product can provide software updates so that future security risks and vulnerabilities can be fixed.

David Britton, deputy director of the fraud prevention department at Experian Group, said that consumers should carefully read the product's privacy policy, at least to ensure that vendors cannot be a “time bomb” that threatens user privacy.

“What data is the device capturing from the client?” Britton said. “Will these data be stored independently of the device? Will the data be fed back to the parent company?”

Take Amazon Echo as an example, Amazon said its built-in Alexa Smart Assistant can automatically download software updates and defend against security threats. And only when the user issues "Alexa" instructions, Echo-side data will be transmitted to the Amazon server (for information feedback). The possibility that Echo may record the user's daily conversation is largely reduced.

Google Home, another tech giant's smart home hardware product, also has regular software updates and powerful firewalls (a skill similar to a device that invalidates a device if it is tampered with). Similar to Echo, Google Home will only begin detecting user language when the user initiates an "O.K. Google" or "Hey Google" activation.

However, some big brand manufacturers have reported things that make consumers unhappy. For example, ProPublica exposes the well-known smart TV manufacturer Vizio by default to enable users to follow and share with advertisers, and advertisers can use this information to learn about other devices owned by users.

Improve Wi-Fi security

Wi-Fi is the basis of dependence on smart homes, and it has thus become one of the most vulnerable offensive points. Britton and Arsene advise users to separate the Wi-Fi connected to the smart home device from the Wi-Fi connected to your smartphone, tablet, and computer as much as possible.

Arsene explained that in two different Wi-Fi environments, it would be more difficult for hackers to penetrate from the smart home device to the computer.

The easiest way is to create a guest network. (Only Internet connections are allowed, and connections to the home Intranet are not allowed, and personal information can be avoided). Many of today's Wi-Fi routers have this capability - creating a Guest network with a different account and password than the main network. In this way, even if other devices are "black", data security of important devices can be guaranteed.

Britton said that if consumers want to further reduce the possibility of Wi-Fi being "black", they can also change the router settings to prevent others from receiving signals, although users also need to manually enter the network name and password to connect, but this situation The possibility of the network being "black" is reduced as much as possible.

Increase password strength

Do not use the same or monotonous combination of passwords for all devices or websites. Otherwise, when a device is cracked, others will be cracked in succession. High-intensity passwords can be paired with random letters and numbers and special symbols.

If the user cannot remember the password (this indicates a lower probability of cracking), you can also record the password on a sticky note or use a password manager such as 1Password or LastPass.

Periodic inspection software (firmware) update

Well-known smart home device manufacturers provide continuous software updates to fix security vulnerabilities (holes). In some cases, firmware requires users to actively upgrade. Many home appliances, such as smart lights, sockets, etc. Even if the firmware is updated, it is difficult for you to get timely notifications. In response, Britton and Arsene recommend that consumers regularly log in to the mobile app or product website to check the software update status.

Cover the camera and cover the microphone

Taking a piece of (opaque) tape stuck to a computer camera is another great way to protect privacy for those who care about privacy.

Britton said Amazon Echo and Google Home have one thing in common: the mute button. Once the device is "black", silence can prevent personal conversations from being intercepted by hackers.

The safest kind is also the ultimate means. You can choose not to use these smart home devices. This was done by Tien, an attorney from the Electronic Sentinel Foundation, who had studied the privacy risks of smart meters (used to monitor energy consumption).

Tien said that he can accept a smart phone, but smart home devices? "I think smart home devices mean privacy violations," he said. "I'm not sure that the value it brings is really that big."Acrylic Anti Blue Light Filter, Blue Light Screen Protectors, Blue Light Filter For Pc, Anti Blue Light Filter