- Review contributions to threats and vulnerabilities on a home network and determine if they have gaps in their understanding.
- Provide feedback on a classmate’s home network security measures they are not currently using. Do you have any other suggestions or recommendations for them?
What threats do you need to be concerned about on your home network?
Some threats that you should be concerned about are Ransomware, Information Theft, Data Breaches, Malicious Ads, and Remote Access Tools (RAT). Some of these threats you would think are targets for just big companies. There might be a young hacker trying to make a name for themselves or wanting to settle a score with somebody. Every threat needs to be taken seriously and guarded against you never know who the next victim of a hack will be.
What are the vulnerabilities of each of your devices on your home network
Almost every device has a vulnerability one way or another. The more devices you have on your network the more vulnerable you are. Opening the wrong email on either a smartphone, computer, or even a smart tv can infect your network. Depending on what IoT devices you have on your network your whole house could be vulnerable. For example, you have an attached garage to your house, and you never lock the door between your house and the garage. You have your garage door opener linked to your network and you get hacked with a RAT they can now gain access to your house while you are away and rob you and there would not be any form of forced entry into the house. You would just think you forgot to lock a door somewhere and that is how they got in; little do you know they used the garage door to gain access into the house.
What techniques can you use to protect your devices on your home network? (Make sure to discuss how you will protect your network traffic on your wireless network.)
Some good techniques to use to protect your devices is having a good virus scanning software that scans your computers and network throughout the day and will alert you of any possible treats that tried to gain access to your network. Keeping your software up to date will keep you safer while on the internet and on your network; everyday there are new ways to attack you if you do not keep up with the updates the software will look past it as something that is vicious and can hurt your network. Change passwords from time to time, and never make it close to the old password. I have noticed a lot of online services requiring you to come up with a more complicated password to keep your information safe with using special characters. Do not use the same password for everything. You can use a VPN to help disguise your network and make it harder to find and hack.
Discuss some home network security measures you are not currently using but may consider using.
I should change my passwords more often than what I do, and I am also guilty of using almost the same password for everything because it is easier to remember. I know by doing this I put myself at risk of a lot of things being hacked but with so many online services and accounts I have it makes it easier to access them for me and not have to reset my password every month.
References:
Trend Micro, (2017, February 20). Common Threats to Home Users and How to Defend Against Them
