Are you buying a smart device for Christmas?

Are you buying a smart device for Christmas?

Dear Resident,

With Christmas less than 4 weeks away, you may be one of the many people who have bought a ‘Smart’ device as a Christmas present, or you may be hoping to receive one.

With so many different types of ‘Smart’ devices being available to buy now, criminals are always looking for new ways to hack into systems to obtain information from them, that they can then use.

Devices such as mobile phones, computers, Alexa/Siri devices and even video doorbells and children's toys are being targeted due to the information they hold, and with most being connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi, it is now easier than ever.

Below are 5 tips that will assist in making your ‘SMART’ Christmas present more difficult to hack into, and thus, keep your device and information safer.

Make sure you use strong passwords and certainly don't keep default passwords on your devices. The best passwords involve the use of 3 unrelated words. See the attached sheet for examples.

Look at changing the default administrator credentials on your Wi-Fi router and change the issued password. The use of a WPA2 encryption will also disguise the network from immediate view.

Ensure that you keep the operating systems on your devices up to date, a lot of these updates also contain security patches. So, when you get a notification that there is an update available, make sure you install it.

Keep any software/apps that are on your SMART devices up to date, as updates could also contain security patches.

Consider using a firewall/anti-virus system that will monitor and block any attempts to access your devices.

Further crime prevention advice can be found on the Secured by Design website here.

Please feel free to share this alert with family, friends, and on social media by clicking the share button below the alert.

Regards

Jamie

Crime Reduction

Humberside Police

Attachments

Password examples.pdf

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Message Sent By
Jamie Steel
(Humberside Police, Crime Reduction Officer, Community Safety Unit)