Refrigerators that order your groceries for you. Thermostats that program themselves based on the local weather forecast. Doorbells that sense motion and capture would-be intruders on camera. Virtual assistants that play music, set up reminders, and even tell jokes. The smart tech and internet devices that are available today have remarkable capabilities and are unquestionably making home life far more convenient and comfortable than ever before. But there is a drawback to all this connectivity—cybercriminals see these devices as an easy pathway to hacking into your home’s digital network, accessing your passwords, stealing your personal data, and even tracking the movements of the people in your household.
However, there are several actions you can take that may help make your home, your family, and your devices less vulnerable to a cyberattack. A good first step is to gain a better understanding of the most common personal cyberthreats—because the more you and your loved ones know about how bad actors try to infiltrate your home, the more likely it is that you will be able to recognize and block their attempts.
To help you get inside the minds of today’s cybercriminals, The Andover Companies shares seven techniques these bad actors frequently use:
- Installing Malware: Hackers transfer malicious software, like viruses or spyware, onto your computers, tablets, phones, and other digital devices via an infected website or file, with the main purpose of stealing your sensitive and personally identifiable information (PII).
- Spoofing: When an online scammer disguises their identity, via a fake email or text address, website URL, or caller ID number, as someone you know and trust, like a friend, coworker, or business, to spread malware, steal money or data, or gain access to your devices.
- Phishing: A cyberattack that typically starts with a criminal sending you an email with a fraudulent link or attachment and trying to get you to click or open it so they can bait you into giving them your login credentials; Social Security, credit card, or bank account numbers; and more.
- Smishing: Similar to phishing but usually initiated by an “urgent request” text message containing a phony link that, if clicked, often takes you to an online form that tricks you into giving out your personal information or downloading malware onto your device.
- Vishing: This scam starts with a call or voicemail in which a scammer pretends to be a legitimate company and attempts to get you to give out personal information or to record your voice so they can use it to authorize charges or access your financial accounts.
- Ransomware and Cyber Extortion: Two cybercrimes in which bad actors hijack your devices with the aim of extorting money from you. In a ransomware attack, you are typically locked out of your computer files, systems, or network and are asked to pay the hacker to regain access. In a cyber extortion event, a cybercriminal gets ahold of your personal information and threatens to leak these details in a public way or sell them on dark web marketplaces unless you pay a fee.
- IoT (Internet of Things) Attacks: These attacks are perpetrated by cybercriminals who take over your smart home devices, like door locks, speakers, lightbulbs, appliances, toilets, robot vacuums, and even toys. While the purpose of these types of attacks is often to cause chaos in your home, a hacker may also launch an IoT attack to obtain a layout of your house and plot out a future crime, like a home burglary.
Cybercriminals target millions of homes, and the people and devices in them, with these types of attacks every day. When successful, these breaches often lead to tremendous financial losses and emotional distress for a homeowner. The following checklist includes 10 actions you may want to consider taking to reduce the risk of your home and family becoming victims of a personal cyberattack:
- Fortify your home Wi-Fi network and prevent unauthorized access by using strong, unique passwords; enabling encryption protocols; and setting up a separate guest network.
- Change default passwords on all devices to unique, complex ones with a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, making them more challenging for hackers to figure out.
- Opt in to multifactor authentication for all digital devices and online accounts, and whenever it is available, to add an extra layer of protection for your confidential data.
- Regularly update device software, either manually or via auto updates if available, to maintain the security and performance of your devices and applications.
- Consistently back up device data to an external storage drive or to the cloud so everything from photos to financials can be recovered more easily if compromised.
- Verify any questionable links, attachments, or messages by reaching out to the person or organization that it appears sent them, using contact information you know to be correct.
- Store documents containing personally identifiable information, like Social Security cards, birth certificates, and bank statements, in a secure, fireproof place, or shred them before you throw them away.
- Be cautious about what you post on social media about yourself or your family because bad actors regularly search this information in the hopes of manipulating you, guessing your account recovery questions, and more.
- Look for signs a website is secure, like a lock symbol by the URL address, “https:” in the URL, and a PCI DSS compliance certificate, before making a transaction.
- Report any suspicious online activity to your local authorities and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in order to help contain cybercriminal activity and make the internet a safer place for everyone.
Even if you implement recommended cybersecurity measures, a determined hacker may still manage to get through those defenses to your devices and data. In case a cyberattack on your home is successful, it is a good idea to have a backup plan in place. We encourage you to speak with a local insurance agent in our network about a home insurance solution that we offer, called Home Cyber Protection Coverage. After a cyberattack, this endorsement may assist you in paying for restoration of affected connected home device systems and lost or corrupt digital data, as well as hiring subject matter experts to help you respond to and recover from the event.
