ARTICLES

Don't be a victim! Malicious cyber actors may leverage your home network to gain

access to personal, private, and confidential information. Help protect yourself, your

family, and your work by practicing cybersecurity-aware behaviors, observing some

basic configuration guidelines, and implementing the following mitigations on your home

network, including:

* Upgrade and update all equipment and software regularly, including routing

devices

* Exercise secure habits by backing up your data and disconnecting devices when

connections are not needed

* Limit administration to the internal network only

Recommendations for device security

Electronic computing devices, including computers, laptops, printers, mobile phones,

tablets, security cameras, home appliances, cars, and other “Internet of Things” (IoT)

devices must all be secured to reduce the risk of compromise. Most home

entertainment and utility devices, such as home monitoring systems, baby monitors, IoT

devices, smart devices, Blu-ray™ players, streaming video players, and video game

consoles, are capable of accessing the Internet, recording audio, and/or capturing

video. Implementing security measures can ensure these devices don’t become the

weak link in your home protection.

Upgrade to a modern operating system and keep it up-to-date

The most recent version of any operating system (OS) contains security features not

found in previous versions. Many of these security features are enabled by default and

help prevent common attack vectors. Increase the difficulty for an adversary to gain

privileged access by using the latest available and supported OS for desktops, laptops,

and smart devices. IoT devices on a home network are often overlooked, but also

require updates. Enable automatic update functionality when available. If automatic

updates are not possible, download and install patches and updates from a trusted

vendor on a monthly basis.

Secure routing devices and keep them up-to-date

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may provide a modem/router as part of your

service contract. To maximize administrative control over the routing and wireless

features of your home network, consider using a personally owned routing device that

connects to the ISP-provided modem/router. In addition, use modern router features to

create a separate wireless network for guests, for network separation from your more

trusted and private devices.

Your router is the gateway into your home network. Without proper security and

patching, it is more likely to be compromised, which can lead to the compromise of

other devices on the network as well. To minimize vulnerabilities and improve security,

the routing devices on your home network should be updated to the latest patches,

preferably through automatic updates. These devices should also be replaced when

they reach end-of-life (EOL) for support. This ensures that all devices can continue to

be updated and patched as vulnerabilities are discovered.