RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Security experts say we’re in an era of world-wide cyber war, a war where the casualties are our infrastructure and our way of life.
Because those attacks are becoming more frequent, experts say now is the time to prepare your home and internet connected appliances against future attacks.
Most folks understand that big corporate systems and even your home computer are susceptible to attacks; we’ve seen enough of those kind of incidents now.
But, there’s another kind of internet attacks you should be worried about. We’re talking things that are connected to the internet that you might not think about because they aren’t your typical smartphone or computer.
They are the devices that make up your smart home and they are becoming more ubiquitous.
In the cyber world, attacks are happening so often and so quickly it takes a computer to keep on track of them. Online cyber threat maps track thousands of attacks every day. Those cyber-attacks are the new norm and people are starting to realize it.
“The more everything gets connected, the more you have to worry about it, because everything relies on the internet these days,” says internet user Graham Love.
And cyber attackers are getting more brazen. Take the newest worldwide attack known as Petya.
“The attack this week was the one people feared the most, which is one where they were going to cripple and not get money out of it,” says Rob Downs, the CEO of Managed IT Solutions of Raleigh.
Downs says the next-biggest target hackers are concentrating on is what’s known as the
“internet of things.”
Many of our homes now have refrigerators, TVs, heating and cooling systems or other internet connected devices that hackers will want to access or hijack for various purposes. It’s something most folks don’t think about.
“I think about identity theft and things like that, but not cybersecurity,” said Allison Pavone of Raleigh.
As your home gets smarter, experts say you need to act now to protect it.
“The best thing people at home should be doing for the ‘internet of things’ is get a good advanced firewall,” explain Downs. “They are specifically made to make sure devices in your home stay secure.”
Right now, security experts world-wide are also working on ways to protect even more internet connected devices from future attacks that could become more sinister or life threatening.
“You can imagine a future where maybe conceptually they’re able to infect a defibrillator or an insulin pump, or pacemaker or an automobile or something like this, which is the ultimate ransom,” said Carl Herberger of Radware cybersecurity. “And I think it’s a not unforecastable future.”
If you want to know more about how to protect your smart home click this link.
If you’d like to know about various firewalls and their comparative costs, click this link.
Email CBS North Carolina’s Steve Sbraccia if you have a consumer issue.
