Your home network is comprised of all the devices in your house that are connected to the internet. This includes laptops, smart phones, tablets as well as all smart (internet-enabled) devices.

If a threat actor gains access to one of the devices on your Wi-Fi network, all devices on that network can be compromised.

If you connect work devices to your home Wi-Fi, take steps to make your home network cyber secure.

There are two pieces of technology you need to address:

1. Your modem, which connects you to the internet
2. Your router, which distributes the internet connection to your devices

Most manufacturers configure a default administrator account with the same username and password for every piece of equipment they sell. This is different from simply connecting to the network. The administrator account grants you control over the device itself, and the Wi-Fi network configuration. With a bit of know-how, anyone connected to the router can guess its default credentials.

Change the default passwords that come with both your router and modem. Use strong passwords that are difficult to guess.

You should also change the default name of your Wi-Fi network to avoid a threat actor gaining easy access to your network.

Change the network name to something non-identifying (e.g. not your name or address) to add a layer of protection to your home network.

There are three types of Wi-Fi protection systems commonly used to secure transmissions. Encryption ensures that only the end user’s device and the Wi-Fi router can read the contents of a transmission.

It is recommended you use the strengthened version of encryption called WPA2 AES. This uses the industry standard AES cipher to very strongly protect transmissions.

To use WPA2 AES, change your Wi-Fi encryption setting in the router console/menu. Select the “PSK” option if more than one is available.

If WPA2 encryption with AES is not available, use WPA encryption.

The console of a router should only be accessible from devices connected to the local network. However, some standard router setting enables remote access. This setting means that you can access the console over the internet, from another location. Unfortunately, if you can do that, so can anyone else. Disable remote access or remote management in your router console/menu.

The router manufacturer should update the firmware for your device if any vulnerabilities are discovered. A trigger for firmware updates should be any news stories that mention major virus attacks. The outbreak of a serious attack will provoke the router manufacturer to check through its firmware code to make sure its equipment is not vulnerable to the new attack. If it is vulnerable, they will issue a security patch in the form of a firmware update. Check on the website of your router’s manufacturer whenever these news stories break or when prompted by the device itself.

Most modern wireless networking equipment can run a secondary guest network. Use this guest network for guests and smart devices. This will prevent access to your main network and keep potentially malware-infected guest systems from attacking and/or spreading malware to your own devices.

If possible, set up a separate network for your work devices. By creating a separate network for work devices, you keep your work devices, information, and the networks you access more secure.

You can use this feature to allow only approved devices to access your network while barring any other devices from connecting, even if they had the correct information to do so.

Stay away from public Wi-Fi

Do not use public computers or public/unsecured Wi-Fi for work purposes. If you must work in public, access internet via a hotspot from your work device.

Use VPN

If your organization has a virtual private network (VPN), this increases the security of your connection to your organization’s network and systems.

Don’t share your work devices

Your work devices are assigned to you for work purposes and are not meant to be shared. Don’t allow family, friends or guests to use your work devices.

Take care if using personal devices for work

If you use personal devices for work, limit those who can access the devices and ensure software is updated regularly.

Enable automatic updates

Enable automatic updates to ensure all patches and updates for your devices and software are installed.

Keep physical work documents secure

Don’t leave documents laying around. Ensure you have a secure location to store any hard copies.

Be mindful of your surroundings

If you work in a public place, install privacy screens on your monitor and other screens to prevent people (known as shoulder surfers) from looking at your work.

Be aware of home assistants

Smart home assistants, such as smart speakers, are always listening. Power down these devices or set the microphone option to mute if you’ll be discussing anything private or sensitive. Better yet, keep these devices out of your workspace.

A smart device requires little or no input from the user after their initial set-up is complete. These devices are embedded with sensors, microphones and software that collect data and information from their surroundings. The data is sent over the internet for processing, where it is shared with other network‑connected devices.

The Internet of Things (known as IoT) refers to a system of interrelated, internet-connected objects that can collect and transfer data without human intervention.

The company who manufactures the device may share or sell this information to third parties. While your data is anonymized, research has shown how easy it is to de-anonymize this data. The security offered by any encryption provided by the device, if any, may also not be known.

An unsecured device could allow a threat actor to access your data remotely or potentially use the device’s features (such as the camera) without your knowledge.

An unsecured device could also be hacked and used remotely to spread malware or perpetrate a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.

While IoT devices can be helpful tools for efficiencies, workflows, processes and cost management, there are cyber security issues that accompany the use of these devices. Many current IoT devices have a low degree of IT security control and weak encryption capabilities, leaving users of these devices vulnerable to potential threats.

Threat actors can take advantage of smart device vulnerabilities in many ways, including:

• By gaining unauthorized access to a building’s security controls (e.g. unlocking doors, viewing surveillance cameras)
• By accessing microphones remotely to listen in on sensitive conversations
• By accessing sensitive data or personal information (e.g. customer names and credit cards) through unsecured IoT devices that are connected to company networks
• By compromising environmental control systems and smart appliances (e.g. coffee maker, building heating and electrical) in physical workspaces with potentially severe outcomes (e.g. tampering with temperature controls in a server room, causing equipment to malfunction)

Before connecting IoT devices to a work network, ensure you are authorized to do so. You should not connect personal IoT devices (smartwatches, fitness trackers, etc.) to work devices or networks.

Now that many of us work from home at least part of the time, we need to take steps to keep our network and home-based work environment secure.

Set up a separate Wi-Fi network for your IoT devices. There are several options. (1) Using one router, set up a guest network. (2) Use two separate routers. (3) Use a Wi-Fi management tool to set up a separate network.

Change the device’s factory settings from the default password. A simple internet search should tell you how. If you cannot find the information, consider moving to a different product.

Passwords should be as long as possible and unique for IoT devices. Using special characters is recommended.

Know what kind of personal information those apps are collecting. Many connected devices are supported by mobile apps on your phone. These apps could be running in the background, using default permissions that you never realized you approved. And do not approve privilege requests that don't make sense.

Make sure all your devices are updated regularly. If automatic updates are available for software, hardware, and operating systems, turn them on.

Use multi-factor authentication where possible to add an extra layer of security.