Securing smart devices. This is usually an after thought for most people. However in today’s environment of data breaches and ransomware, the security of your smart home devices should be a top priority. With more and more internet Of things devices creeping their way into households, this presents more opportunities for criminals to gain access to your secrets and privacy. Therefore, you have to make securing your smart devices a priority.

One of the simplest and easiest ways to do this, is keeping the operating systems of your devices up to date. You have most likely seen your computer given you a pop-up message, saying that you have updates ready to be installed.  These updates are necessary and should be done. This is one of the ways that companies such as Microsoft and Apple the makers of your personal computer and Mac operating systems, patches security vulnerabilities they find.  To install these updates, all you usually have to do is restart your computer for the updates to take effect. Therefore, you need to keep all your smart home devices and their corresponding  apps up to date. If this is not done automatically, you should log into the settings section of your device or app and search for updates to install. This should be done on a regular basis. However, if you did not initiate this update you should verify it is from a legitimate source before installing. If you prefer, you can have your devices or apps set to do automatic updates. 

Another must have security feature is using antivirus protection. This is a absolutely a necessity on your computer, tablet,  and cellphones. Many people believe that antivirus protection is only used on computers, but that is not true.  Your tablets and cellphones should also be using antivirus protection, because many people use these devices to conduct banking and online shopping. You can usually buy a program that gives you protection on multiple devices.  

 if you install an antivirus protection on your computer, you would usually get a notification that the program is safe.

  10 Home Security Tips 

1. Lighting – All areas surrounding your home, should be well lit. There should not be any areas near your home that remains dark when lights are turned on.

2. Keep all exterior doors lock when you are not in the vicinity of the door.

3. Keep all windows on the ground floor locked, if your are not at home, or are in a different room for an extended period of time.

4. Keep all ladders which can be used to climb into windows, secured in your garage or a locked shed.

5. Keep your garage door closed and locked if you are not using it.

6. If you are parking your car outside of the garage, keep your car doors lock.

7. Do not leave any valuables on your car seat or visible to prying eyes. This includes your garage door opener.

8. Install a home alarm system. This can either be self-monitored or a payed monitoring service.

9. Install outdoor security cameras. This will allow you to see your home’s exterior via a phone app.

10. Do not leave mail in your mail box for more than a day or two. Stacks of mail is a sign that you are away on vacation, or away from home for an extended period of time. The U.S. Postal Service, has a free program in place for you to stop your mail delivery service for a period of time. They will then deliver it on the day you specify. This service can be set up online.

If you use these security tips , you are well on your way to keeping your family and yourself safe.