This is how you protect your smart home technology from hackers

So schützt du deine Smart-Home-Technik vor Hackern

November 13, 2019

The media keep reporting on attacks on smart TVs, smartphones or entire smart home systems. But no need to panic! With a few basic security precautions, you can protect your smart home from hackers. And we would strongly advise you to do the same! Because in the analogue world you wouldn't leave your front door wide open, would you? In this article, we explain how protection works in the virtual world.

Conversations are recorded, the camera captures the most intimate moments. Sound like fiction? Unfortunately not. Again and again true horror reports haunt the press. Smart home devices can become bugs in your own living room. For example, a couple from Great Britain was B. filmed by the camera of the SmartTV during sex. The film surfaced on the internet; they were pointed out by friends. A nightmare!

Another scary story is told by a young couple from the USA: A hacker accessed the smart home system from outside, turned up the heating, played any music and even communicated directly with them via loudspeaker. The gateway here was a surveillance camera.

As you can see, a single poorly protected smart home device can be enough to wreak havoc on your entire smart home system - but only if you don't take any security precautions. In both of the above examples, it would have been possible for the smart home owners to prevent the attacks from the outset using simple means. You have to protect your smart home devices just like your PC or smartphone!

6 tips on how to close the security gaps in the smart home

1. Install updates regularly

We all know that from our smartphones: Updates have to be installed at regular intervals. Many devices offer an automatic update function - both smartphones and smart home devices. You can easily switch on this function in the device settings. With wesmartify you make this setting via the wesmartify app. Can't find the setting option? No problem. Our technology hotline will be happy to help you. Just call 05063 / 799 4024.

2. Install security apps

There are more and more security apps that can protect your devices from attacks. Got a Smart TV running Android? Then get z. B. the app " ESET Smart TV Security ". Some smart TVs have their own operating systems (e.g. Samsung devices) and therefore their own security applications. Samsung has its own virus scanner and the additional option of using the licensed virus scanner from McAfee. Our tip: Check online to see if you can find security apps for your smart devices. If not, ask the manufacturer directly whether there are suitable apps.

3. Secure your WiFi with a complicated password

Secure WLAN – sounds easy. But is it? Actually yes. The first and most important step is: Choose an individual, secure password! Never use the standard names and passwords!

Here is a short reminder for good and secure passwords:

no combination of family names, dates of birth, addresses or sequences of letters that are next to each other on the keyboard
Do not use passwords twice and change them regularly

If you keep getting confused with your passwords, a password manager can help you. Here all your passwords are stored in one place and protected with a master password. So you only need to remember one password instead of one password per access. this year "CHIP" test winner for password managers is LastPass Premium, by the way, closely followed by 1Password.

4. Check how the device manufacturer handles your personal data

Pay attention to the following things when buying:

Provision on data transfer: Make sure that the manufacturer does not ask for any personal data during the registration process in the app (wesmartify respects your privacy - we are not interested in streets, places of residence, dates of birth or other personal information)
Provision for data storage: It is also important where the cloud server of the smart home system is located. The wesmartify server is in Germany and is therefore subject to strict German legislation and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). So the commands of your smart home devices stay here and don't even travel around the world.
Good encryption protocol: The wesmartify system also works on the basis of AES 128 bit. AES is one of the most secure encryption methods currently available.

5. Use more than one WiFi network

It sounds a bit complicated, but it's worth it: Instead of parking all internet-enabled devices in your household in one network, you create several small networks. If a hacker breaks into one of these networks, devices on the remaining networks remain unaffected. We therefore recommend setting up a separate network for all smart home devices. Don't know how to do it? Then get help from an IT specialist. This is very easy to do via the tech service platform Mila .

6. Turn off webcams and microphones

In the device settings, you can disable cameras and microphones if you don't need them. You can connect smart speakers to a switch socket for this purpose. So the speaker is not constantly on and in "listening mode". Another simple tip: Tape the cameras on smart devices. This applies to laptops and smartphones as well as tablets and smart TVs. Important to know: Of course, no hidden cameras or microphones are built into the wesmartify devices. Only devices that are explicitly designated as camera systems have a camera. And only the speakers microphones.