In the two decades since the coining of the IoT phrase, cloud computing has emerged, evolved, and expanded on a massive scale, taking the IoT with it. To put it simply, an IoT device is any physical piece of hardware that has support for Ethernet or Wi-Fi networking. The IoT has come to be strongly connected to the industrial sector, which is making huge investments in smart technology. But the IoT also has a consumer element to it. Individuals and families have found that, with smart devices, their day-to-day life can be made more efficient. This has spawned a whole new market of gadgets, including everything from smart light bulbs to smart coffee makers to voice assistants that can respond to audio commands.
How Can You Protect Your IoT Devices From Malware?
With all of these dangers to your data or that data of your customers, what can you or your business organization do to mitigate the dangers posed by spyware and how the IoT has enabled those dangers to multiply? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Use a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, put a layer of encryption between the devices on your home or business network and the broader internet. Not all VPNs are created equal; like any software, some providers do a better job than others at keeping you secure. The best VPNs today are valuable cybersecurity and data privacy tools, and using them is essential for proper protection against not just spyware, but all forms of malware in general.
2. Use strong and unique passwords:
Make the passwords to all of your devices as long, complicated and difficult to guess as you can make them. Also, try to use different passwords for each device. The more work that hackers have to do to find your passwords, the less likely they will be to find them all.
3. Install the latest software updates for all of your devices
Software updates to various devices often try to patch up security vulnerabilities in those devices that would leave them open to attack and infiltration by hackers. Having the latest software updates for all of your devices will close off more avenues by which you could be attacked. In 2017, failure to perform a standard Windows update opened millions of computers to a ransomware attack known as “Wannacry”.
4. Implement a zero-trust security strategy
If you run a business, zero-trust security strategies — in which network access at all levels is highly restricted and segmented, and in which authentication is required for all forms of access —are indispensable to effective cybersecurity.
