IoT (Internet of Things) is kind of the “in” thing these days. Connecting your fridge, speaker and electric toothbrush to computers, your phone and to each other is the new “cool” and for good reason.
All major strides in technology these days are rooted in further connectivity. Connecting each of our appliances and machinery means things get a lot simpler. How easy is it to power down your lights from your phone instead of having to physically walk to the switch? How about turning your oven on to pre-heat while you’re still on the couch watching football (Go Giants!)?
But with convenience and simplicity comes the inevitable headaches of security woes. Hackers are getting sneakier and even more daring these days. (See Equifax breach for more on that.) So if you’re going to set up your toaster to speak to your laundry machine, why not make sure you’ve stacked up security detail to handle any undesirables (or “deplorables” if that’s still a thing).
Bitdefender is a company specializing in IoT security. Touted as the first of its kind, the Bitdefender BOX works by protecting at the source – your internet connection.
By scanning and identifying security flaws on the network this work engine is able to proof up anything connected to your network. That includes desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, laptops, the aforementioned toasters, speakers (think Amazon Echo) and even precious baby monitors.
It’s continuously working to find any hidden backdoors, poorly encrypted communications and insecure management ports due to weak passwords. Once it finds something it alerts you immediately with exact tips and recommendations to batten down the hatches and secure any breach.
Shady websites are often the source of security breaches on home or office networks. Bitdefender’s URL blacklist is one of the most thorough databases of malicious internet locations. Anytime an outbound connection is made, Bitdefender BOX checks against this list to ensure everything is safe.
Of course, this being a mobile world, what would this system be without an app solution that allows for easy scanning to locate threats. Their IoT scanner is an adjacent free app to the BOX that quickly scans your home Wi-Fi network looking for vulnerable devices and weak passwords.
Whenever a weak spot is identified, you’re provided with a full report allowing you to make the right decisions on how to counteract the threat.
So by all means, fill your home or your office with IoT-enabled devices but please just make sure you’re also putting the right security measures in place to protect you and yours.
The Bitdefender Box is going for $99.99 and covers an unlimited number of devices while their IoT security app is free. You can grab both through Bitdefender.com.
