- Review contributions to threats and vulnerabilities on a home network and determine if they have gaps in their understanding.
- Provide feedback on a classmate’s home network security measures they are not currently using. Do you have any other suggestions or recommendations for them?
What threats do you need to be concerned about on your home network?
- One threat would be a malware attack that gains access to my devices and information, which in turn could expose me to data theft. Another threat is coming across any phishing or Smishing (SMS phishing) attacks with malicious links intended to compromise my data. I avoid on any links from emails nowadays because of how many phishing emails I get lately.
What are the vulnerabilities of each of your devices on your home network?
- For laptops and smartphones in the house, simple things such as not having the OS updated or incorrectly installed software or hardware pose as vulnerabilities. Poor quality passwords are also easier to manipulate thank a secure password (Comptia). IoT devices like an Echo have a network called Sidewalk that allows the devices to connect with others in the surrounding area, which I disabled when I got the notification for it on the app.
What techniques can you use to protect your devices on your home network? (Make sure to discuss how you will protect your network traffic on your wireless network.)
- One technique that I currently use is utilizing a “guest” network for guests to our home and our IoT devices we have in the house. We do this to limit traffic on our main network for security. For my work-at-home setup, we use a VPN and MFA to get on the company network, so even on the go I can remain secure. I also ensure to password protect all devices that I can, avoid connecting to public networks and try to make sure all devices remain updated (Comptia).
Discuss some home network security measures you are not currently using but may consider using.
- Given the amount of personal data on each device, I have been contemplating encrypting some files along with finding a good password manager to help me maintain keeping my passwords up to date and changed regularly without me forgetting them. I am also going to start performing more security assessments on my network to keep it secure (Comptia).
Network Security: What Is It, Why Does It Matter and What Can You Do to Make Networks More Secure? 2020. Comptia. Accessed October 26, 2022. https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/network-security-basics-definition-threats-and-solutions