While connected devices at home provide greater
convenience and enable faster communication, ‘home networks’ can become
easy targets for cyber criminals, cautions Fortinet, a global player in
high-performance cyber security solutions.
“Recent Internet of Things (IoT)-based attacks have revealed the sheer volume and ease by which billions of connected devices can be weaponised and used to disrupt the digital economies of entire countries and millions of users. These issues are compounded by the lack of basic security features and management capabilities in many IoT devices,” said Peerapong Jongvibool, VP, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Fortinet.
“As our work and social networks expand into the home, so does the potential threat footprint. With more employees working from home, corporate offices are being regularly linked to these hyper-connected and often poorly secured home networks. It is critical that we take a fresh look at how we are protecting ourselves from the growing number of networks we interact with.”
Sensitive personal, financial and medical information, as well as work assets are all at risk from increasingly sophisticated malware and financially motivated cybercriminals, Fortinet says.
According to market research firm IDC, there will be nearly 9 billion connected devices across Asia Pacific by 2020. Connected devices on the home network range from smart TVs, entertainment and gaming systems, smart refrigerators, to online home security systems. Many home networks also include wireless medical devices, and tools designed to track and monitor children or elderly family members. All of these devices are connected to the Internet through a home Wi-Fi system, or increasingly, a home area network (HAN) combined with network-attached storage (NAS) and cloud-based applications that are accessible from any device, anywhere.
Fortinet proposes three strategies for home users to secure increasingly complex home networks:
1. Learn
Identify devices looking to connect to the Internet through the Wi-Fi network. Many of them can be easily configured to restrict and monitor the kind of traffic they are generating.
Before purchasing a device that wants to connect to the network, ask if it should connect to the network.
Next, research if these devices are secure. Many of these devices cannot be hardened, patched, or updated.
2. Segment
Buy separate wireless access points for separate uses, like gaming systems and IoT devices versus PCs and laptops.
Set up a wireless guest network for visitors or new devices.
Consider purchasing a separate, inexpensive device that is only used for sensitive tasks like online banking.
Keep work and personal devices separated, in different networks.
3. Protect
Keep a list of all the devices and critical applications on your network, including the manufacturer. Set up a weekly routine to check for updates.
Get antivirus and anti-malware software, keep them updated, and run scans regularly. Use a second or third security solution to scan devices or networks regularly.
Get a firewall.
Use good password hygiene.
Use password managers.
“Given the rate at which technology is changing, users can no longer afford to simply load an antivirus tool onto their laptop and think they are going to be protected. As users begin to use and interconnect more and more devices, and blend their personal, social, and work lives, security is increasingly important,” said Jongvibool. “It is critical that users begin to develop a strategy now for learning, segmenting, and protecting their network, resources, data, and privacy.”
“Recent Internet of Things (IoT)-based attacks have revealed the sheer volume and ease by which billions of connected devices can be weaponised and used to disrupt the digital economies of entire countries and millions of users. These issues are compounded by the lack of basic security features and management capabilities in many IoT devices,” said Peerapong Jongvibool, VP, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Fortinet.
“As our work and social networks expand into the home, so does the potential threat footprint. With more employees working from home, corporate offices are being regularly linked to these hyper-connected and often poorly secured home networks. It is critical that we take a fresh look at how we are protecting ourselves from the growing number of networks we interact with.”
Sensitive personal, financial and medical information, as well as work assets are all at risk from increasingly sophisticated malware and financially motivated cybercriminals, Fortinet says.
According to market research firm IDC, there will be nearly 9 billion connected devices across Asia Pacific by 2020. Connected devices on the home network range from smart TVs, entertainment and gaming systems, smart refrigerators, to online home security systems. Many home networks also include wireless medical devices, and tools designed to track and monitor children or elderly family members. All of these devices are connected to the Internet through a home Wi-Fi system, or increasingly, a home area network (HAN) combined with network-attached storage (NAS) and cloud-based applications that are accessible from any device, anywhere.
Fortinet proposes three strategies for home users to secure increasingly complex home networks:
1. Learn
Identify devices looking to connect to the Internet through the Wi-Fi network. Many of them can be easily configured to restrict and monitor the kind of traffic they are generating.
Before purchasing a device that wants to connect to the network, ask if it should connect to the network.
Next, research if these devices are secure. Many of these devices cannot be hardened, patched, or updated.
2. Segment
Buy separate wireless access points for separate uses, like gaming systems and IoT devices versus PCs and laptops.
Set up a wireless guest network for visitors or new devices.
Consider purchasing a separate, inexpensive device that is only used for sensitive tasks like online banking.
Keep work and personal devices separated, in different networks.
3. Protect
Keep a list of all the devices and critical applications on your network, including the manufacturer. Set up a weekly routine to check for updates.
Get antivirus and anti-malware software, keep them updated, and run scans regularly. Use a second or third security solution to scan devices or networks regularly.
Get a firewall.
Use good password hygiene.
Use password managers.
“Given the rate at which technology is changing, users can no longer afford to simply load an antivirus tool onto their laptop and think they are going to be protected. As users begin to use and interconnect more and more devices, and blend their personal, social, and work lives, security is increasingly important,” said Jongvibool. “It is critical that users begin to develop a strategy now for learning, segmenting, and protecting their network, resources, data, and privacy.”
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