In 1995, a movie called Hackers debuted showing the life of
a group of hackers and what kind of trouble they can cause. Hacking is still an
ongoing problem today and as a result has crept into the security market
through integrated information systems. In this article I’ll share some tips
that can help you keep this cyber intrusion away from your home or business.
Generally, most technologically people get excited about the
idea of being able to turn on lights, view security cameras, and control other
gadgets at home with a Smart Phone. Unfortunately, there are criminals learning
how to break into your systems despite increased security and better
technology. So as you log in and review footage on your DVR or control feature of
your Smart Home, a cyber thief could be following your every move. The best way
to keep these so called cyber criminals from hacking into your system is to use
encryption. If you leave any part of your system unencrypted, you’ve already
created a huge vulnerability.
Many people in the residential market or in small businesses
do not need to go to such extremes as encrypting video feeds. It may be
necessary though if you’re trying to protect priceless property or have had
issues in the past with people trying to steal certain items.
Some DVRs have a watermark feature to aid in preventing
theft. This feature can help a viewer tell the difference between a genuine
feed and a fake. I also recommend changing user names and passwords on a
regular basis. You don’t want to leave your system with the factory defaults of
admin/admin or 12345. Login information like this is what hackers are going to
try first. Many customers have asked me to log into their systems and when I
ask them what their user name and password is, they often respond saying, “I
don’t know who set it up, I just have it saved to auto log in”. This is not a
good practice and won’t keep your system secure. Remember if you want to keep
your security system safe from hackers, you must, first, keep it safe from a 5
year old.
