INTERVIEW
ALEXA, PROTECT MY PRIVACY
Take steps to keep speakers, security cameras and other smart
devices safe from hackers who want to steal your data—or worse.
Theresa Payton is CEO of
security consulting com-
pany Fortalice Solutions,
cofounder of Dark Cubed,
a cybersecurity product
company, and former chief
information officer for the
White House.
Reports circulated recently
that hackers had accessed
Ring home security cameras
and used them to speak to
and taunt their owners. Why
are crooks interested in smart
devices? Investigations into
these events are ongoing,
but we know that a forum
was set up online where
hackers were livestreaming
some of the things that they
were doing, ostensibly to
show the dangers of these
types of devices. It was a
violation of privacy and very
scary for the victims, but we
really haven’t seen yet how
these devices could be used
to conduct economic and
political espionage. You may
think that your day-to-day
life is boring and inconse-
quential, but you could be
connected to somebody
hackers consider a valuable
target.
Another possibility is
that hackers could gather
the blueprints necessary to
break in and enter a home.
Hackers may, for example,
grab videos and snapshots of
how a home’s security alarm
is set and accessed. You
don’t have to put on a tinfoil
hat, but you should use
these devices with caution.Why are these devices vulner-
able? Manufacturers want
them to be simple to use.
Security safeguards can
be cumbersome, and cus-
tomers may abandon a
device if they have to go
through 15 steps before
they can use it. Plus, the
components for that
cool device you just
got probably came
from at least 20
different compa-
nies. The chal-
lenge is to make
a device secure,
easy to use and
sold for a price
customers are
willing to pay.
The industry is
working to improve,
but unfortunately,
protecting security
and privacy rests
largely on consumers’
shoulders right now.What security features
should consumers look for?
Ask some questions be-
fore you buy. Does the
product encrypt your data?
If it doesn’t, look for an-
other product. Can you
change the default pass-
word to one that’s difficult
to guess? I’ve seen cases in
which you can’t. Will thedevice update itself automat-
ically with the latest privacy
and security patches, or is
it on you to do that? And istwo-factor authentication
an option? Check out the
strength of a company’s cus-
tomer service, too. One way
to do that is to look up its
social media accounts. Is the
company responsive to users
who are having problems?How can I find products that
measure up? Big-name com-
panies, such as Amazon
and Google, usually build
those features into their
devices. When I’m looking
into buying a gadget, I
like to check Mozilla’s
Privacy Not Included web-
site (https://foundation
.mozilla.org/en/privacynot
included). Mozilla puts gad-
gets through their paces to
see how well they protect
user privacy.What else can consumers do
to make these devices more
secure? If you don’t know
whether your devices
are automatically
retrieving the latest
security patches, the
best way to ensure
that they get the up-
dates is to turn them
off periodically and
unplug your router, then
plug the router in and turn
the devices back on. Pick a
regular household activity,
such as paying bills, and
tack this on to your routine.
Also, hide your home Wi-Fi
network so that it’s invisible
to others. If you’re not sure
how to that, call your inter-
net service provider. If my
family is about to discuss
something sensitive—say,
when we’re going to go
on a vacation—we unplug
our smart speaker from
power and the internet.
LISA GERSTNERPHOTOGRAPH BY ANDAR SAWYERS
03/2020 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE 11