They are everywhere inside your house. All around you, little thieves are hiding in plain sight. You watch them, they watch you, but you don’t even realize they are slowly eating away at…your Internet bandwidth. What did you think I was talking about?

Notice how your Internet is a little slow? Or does it slow down at specific times of the day or night? What is that about?

Smart Inside

It’s because your house is sooo smart. You have a Smart TV, a Smart Refrigerator, a Smart Toaster, and a Smart Toilet Seat. I didn’t make that up. It’s real. I can’t imagine why the heck you’d need an Internet-connected toilet, but to each their own. Every Smart item doesn’t actually have any intelligence built in, mostly. They require an Internet connection to stream in shows, music, grocery lists, or your toilet paper usage. I don’t know, I’m just guessing what it does.

Let’s say you have the lowest level of Internet bandwidth, which is typically 50 Megabits per second (Mbps). This bandwidth is rated for only five (5) networked devices. What? Really?

Let’s see where you stand. Nearly everyone has a Smart TV and a Smart Speaker. Add your cell phone, laptop, and any additional streaming services, and you’ve maxed out a 50 Mbps connection. Read about Internet bandwidth and device requirements here (Link).

Can’t afford more bandwidth? I get it. You may be on a fixed income or don’t use the Internet that much, but when you do, you need it! For some, the Internet provides home phone service and television. Did you know that through the Affordable Connectivity Program, low-income or retired Internet subscribers can get free or heavily discounted service? Read more about ACP here (Link).

But what if you’re in a rural area and what you have is the maximum available? Then you need to make the most of what you have. Start by keeping unused devices off. If you’re not using the television, keep it off. If you don’t need a Smart Toilet, don’t buy it and hook it into your house.

Inside and Outdated

Now, let’s talk about REAL insider threats. When is the last time you updated your home Internet router? What about Windows on your computer? Your phone? Surely you have your phone set to auto-update, right? Well, if you don’t, you should. Outdated software and firmware on your systems, especially your Internet router, could allow outside attackers to exploit well-known vulnerabilities. This gives them direct access to your files, bank accounts, and other private data.

Your television, computer, phone, pretty much anything that connects to the Internet, includes the ability to auto-update. Enable it, but, if you can, set it to run overnight when you don’t need that bandwidth. The manuals will tell you how to find these settings in the menu or ask the Internet.

They’re Here!

Now we get to the hard conversations. Are there…others…in your house? You know, those people who don’t pay rent but use all your services? You know, offspring? It could be anyone that uses your Internet. Do you know what they’re doing while on your Wi-Fi? If they browse in unsavory places, by accident of course, they may catch something, like a Drive-By-Download. And no one wants to have that conversation.

You have a few options. First, you can install an endpoint protection software like BitDefender on all your house computers. The software works as an antivirus, anti-malware, and some prevent Ransomware. But every computer and phone needs it. This costs money and will require an annual subscription. Most also have reduced pricing for those on fixed incomes.

You can also purchase an Internet router that prevents access to potentially dangerous or known harmful websites. Again, most of these require a paid subscription, as the lists are constantly changing. Even if someone wants to visit naughty sites, the Internet router will block it.

Keep It Inside

Now let’s lock things down physically. We start with your Wi-Fi setup. Whatever you do, DO NOT use weak passwords for your Wi-Fi. Also, as convenient as it may seem, don’t post your Wi-Fi password anywhere in your house. If someone gets on your Wi-Fi, they can easily see everything on your computer. Doesn’t matter if you have endpoint software or not. It looks like a trusted computer.

Finally, there is one device in your house that is quite the talker. These devices come out of the box with open wireless, Bluetooth, Near-field Communication (NFC), and USB capability enabled by default. Demonstrations have shown how a hacker could access your network from the street through one of these. What is it?

Printers are by far one of the loudest devices, mainly to ensure ease of use. However, hardly anyone disables the services they don’t use. The best way to ensure your printer is secure begins by connecting it directly into your Internet router with a physical cable. Then, use the manufacturer’s software to connect to it across the house network. The software should give you the option to disable unneeded services.

Hard Not Impossible

You can do this! I believe in you. Some of these things are very technical. If all this is out of your comfort zone, find a trusted computer technician to help. No, they aren’t always cheap, but you should only need them once to set everything up. If you point your kids toward a career in computers, you will always have someone to guilt into helping or bribe with cookies. That’s how my family does it.

When we talk about insider threats, we’re not talking about people sneaking into your home and stealing your laptop or credit cards. Of course, you should never leave your phone, laptop, or any device alone. There’s way too much information on it. All devices MUST have at least a passcode to prevent anyone from browsing and downloading your data. I recommend using both a fingerprint or facial recognition, along with a passcode or password. Even if they have your password, they still need you to gain access.