Should You Grant Permissions To IoT Devices?
March 8, 2021
Should You Grant Permissions To IoT Devices?
These days, it's extremely common to have Internet of Things (IoT) devices scattered around our homes. This includes security cameras, smart doorbells, fridges, vacuums, coffee machine, lights, speakers, Amazon or Google home devices, and many other gadgets that we install to make life easier and more efficient.
Many of these IoT devices will be connected through our smartphones and mobile apps for controls and this can pose quite a large security risk if you don't have the right settings and measures in place.
When messages pop up on our smart devices asking for certain usage permissions, many of us will just click 'accept' to all without thinking about the potential implications of allowing specific levels of access.
Oftentimes, these apps and devices will ask for permission to access your microphone, camera, notifications, network, personal data, or other apps. If you're not careful, you could be allowing major access points to your sensitive systems through these permissions to IoT devices.
What Should You Do?
First things first, always read the terms and conditions! We know it can be tedious, but a few minute spent going through them before clicking 'accept' could save you from a major headache later if your systems faced a breach.
Alongside this, it's important to limit your IoT devices to only whatever is essential to your life. The more connected devices you have, the higher the chances are that one of them could get breached which may result in your whole network being compromised.
To add that extra level of security, we highly suggest you segregate your network. Think about all of the devices in your house that are connected to your home network and then imagine if a cybercriminal was able to access that network... all of your information could be compromised.
One option may be to have a separate network for your IoT devices, one for work devices, and one for personal usage that way if one gets breached, only a few systems or devices may get compromised rather than your whole system.
Of course, each network should hold a strong and unique password and make sure to only share your passwords with people you fully trust. Ensure all devices stay up to date to further prevent a risk of a breach and always use two-factor or multi-factor authentication whenever possible.