How to keep your smart home and family safe

In our previous blog article, we outlined what a smart home is, and the associated risks of a smart home and the devices connected to it. We can see how integrated smart devices are in our lives and how many devices are used in all aspects of the home, from the smart TV in the living room to smart appliances in the kitchen and baby monitors in the bedroom. The heavy use of these devices leaves us vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals with the potential for a huge invasion of privacy like never seen before.

To keep your smart home and family safe from threats, secure your smart devices with these simple tips:

1. Account for all devices connected to your home network. Ensure you know all the smart devices connected to your home network, whether they be personal or work devices. So that no device is left vulnerable, apply firmware or patch updates when required.
2. Apply timely updates and patches. Update your devices as soon as these become available or enable auto-updates on your device.
3. Ensure all devices are password protected. Where possible, enable password protection on your computers and mobile phones. Use strong passwords that will make it hard for a hacker to crack and never use a password that will be easy to guess.
4. Update default passwords and settings. Make sure the settings on your devices lean towards stronger security settings, if not, update it as soon as possible. Change default passwords on your devices to avoid attacks as cybercriminals are aware many do not update default passwords, especially routers, which makes it easier for them to access that device and your home.
5. Don’t click on any suspicious links. Never click on any links from unknown senders on any of your devices, this could be a hidden virus, malware or ransomware threat.
6. Get security for your devices. Protect against malware, viruses, ransomware and more for your computers and mobile phones with good security. Is there anything to protect your smart devices? Trend Micro Device Security Ultimate provides complete device and identity protection for you and your family to protect your traditional devices, as well as all your smart home devices.

Stay tuned for our final article in our smart home series around an all-in-one security solution for your smart home.

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