Cybersecurity

Bring in the experts: It’s time to secure your home network

It’s no longer just about protecting the computer on which you may be working from home and the laptops the kids may be using as online school starts. Odds are good you’ve got a few other Internet-connected devices around the house – phones, tablets, game consoles, maybe a “smart” TV or thermostat or refrigerator or light bulb or kid’s toy or security camera or video-streaming gadget or voice-activated digital valet.

The average U.S. home now has 11 such devices, according to Deloitte, many of which are vulnerable to hacking. If you don’t want cyber cat burglars traipsing across them, potentially spreading malware or ransomware as they go, you’ll want to secure your entire home network.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Home networks are a major target for cybercriminals, who use innocuous smart gadgets as steppingstones to loot data from PCs and phones. Or they may co-opt these simpler devices into much larger “botnets” that can be used to wreak havoc across the Internet.

On average, one in three Internet connections from home networks are made through devices other than computers or phones, so there’s lots of opportunity for mischief if you don’t lock your virtual windows to the networked world.