Five Steps to Protecting your Digital Home

Hello Friends-

Have you heard of the Department of Homeland Security?  If not, you can go here to the following link for more information. (Don’t worry, we’ll be here when you get back.)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Department+of+Homeland+Security

However, it is important to note that the DHS actually cares about security on all fronts.  They have released a very good list of five steps to ensure your “Digital Home” is kept safe and sound.   We will be going through each of these steps in greater detail later in this blog.  Check back here as we add additional details.

For now, the list:

1. Secure your Wi-Fi Network
2. Enable stronger authentication
3. Keep a clean machine
4. Know your apps
5. Consider what you share

For some, this above list ranges from the technical mystery (“Secure my what-a-what??”) to the downright philosophical nonsense (“How can I really know my apps? I don’t even know myself…”).

Here’s a bit more detail into the suggestions provided by the Department of Homeland Security  (Again, check back for more detail into each of these particular steps!):

(Source: DHS, https://secsteve.io/IpLAwQ)

5 STEPS TO PROTECTING YOUR DIGITAL HOME

More and more of our home devices – including thermostats, door locks, coffee
machines, and smoke alarms – are now connected to the Internet. This enables us to
control our devices on our smartphones, no matter our location, which can in turn save
us time and money while providing convenience and even safety. These advances in
technology are innovative and intriguing; however, they also pose a new set of security
risks

The Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign encourages you to follow these simple steps to
secure your connected devices.

1. Secure your Wi-Fi network. Your home’s wireless router is the primary entrance for
cybercriminals to access all of your connected devices. Secure your Wi-Fi network,
and your digital devices, by changing the factory-set default password
and username.

2. Enable stronger authentication. Always enable stronger authentication for an extra
layer of security beyond the password that is available on most major email, social
media and financial accounts. Stronger authentication (e.g., multi-factor
authentication that can use a one-time code texted to a mobile device) helps verify
that a user has authorized access to an online account. For more information about
authentication, visit the new Lock Down Your Login Campaign at
www.lockdownyourlogin.com.

3. Keep a clean machine. Keep software up to date and install updates for apps and
your device’s operating system as soon as they are available. Keeping the software
on your mobile device up to date will prevent attackers from being able to take
advantage of known vulnerabilities.

4. Know your apps. Be sure to review and understand the details of an app before
downloading and installing it. Also, check to make sure the vendor or creator of the
app is reputable. Be aware that apps may request access to your location and
personal information. Delete any apps that you do not use regularly to increase
your security.

5. Consider what you share. Limit the amount of personal information you share
about yourself online. Your full name, phone number, address, school or work
location, and other sensitive information should not be published widely. Disable
geo-tagging features that let people online know where you are. Limit your online
social networks to the people you know in real life, and set your privacy preferences
to the strictest settings.

Featured Image Source: TheHouseShop