With the winter holiday season here, most of us will be giving presents to friends and family. And as this is the 21^st century, many of us tend to give tech toys and other electronic gadgets.

As many of these gadgets have sensors or actuator and are connected to the Internet we thought it would be prudent to tell you how to operate them securely. IoT devices shouldn’t be trusted blindly, as dangers loom in all corners of the web, which is why it’s vital to learn how to use them safely and avoid unnecessary risks.

IoT devices are inherently vulnerable. There is no doubt about that. What’s more, most people and businesses are still not worried enough about the fact that their IoT devices can easily be hacked. In all honesty, anything connected to the Internet carries a potential hacking risk.

You might not be worried about some of your IoT devices getting hacked because you feel that there is nothing a hacker can do through these gadgets. Unless it’s about a computer or a smartphone, most people don’t care about cybersecurity.

Not worrying is a major mistake, as even simple gadgets like an IoT fridge or coffee maker can be hacked and used to spy on you. Hackers can get a limited access to your home or place of business through such a simple device, but then they can quickly learn more about you and your private information. They can then use that data to hack something more vital to you, like your bank account. They could even commit identity fraud.

With all of that being the case, you can now appreciate how crucial it is to stop trusting devices so blindly, even the most harmless ones, and learn how to use them safely. Let’s take a look at some tips that will increase their level of safety for you:

Even though IoT devices are vulnerable to hacks, there's no reason not to use them; you only need to learn how to do it securely:

• Don’t connect every one of your IoT devices, unless you need to. Not all of these gadgets need to have constant access to the internet. Disconnect them when not in use, as that's the best way to keep them and yourself safe from hacks.
• Make sure that your vulnerable IoT devices are password-protected or have the authentication feature enabled and that they only have the access they need to function.
• Never omit to install updates, especially the security updates.
• If your Wi-Fi router permits it, create a separate guest network to which you can connect your IoT devices, keeping them isolated from the rest of your vital connected devices.
• Turn off the universal plug and play function or UPnP. It allows for devices to automatically discover each other, which is very convenient but poses unnecessary risks.
• Almost all IoT devices have all of their features turned on when you take them out of the box, but that only means there are more ways for cybercriminals to hack them. Turn off all features you are not going to use.
• Many IoT devices rely on cloud services and tend to sync your data to them, so make sure to read what the device manufacturer’s privacy policy is. You need to find reassurances that they offer data protection and encryption.

Finally, we hope next year you'll get the chance to select securely your connected gifts by looking at their labels. If you want to know more, feel free to reach out to us.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year !