How to hack-proof the baby nursery and your home

As a new mom, I’m gaga over gadgets that will help make parenting much easier and today the baby product market is full of high-tech options and some high-tech issues if you don't protect yourself.

So here's the thing: baby monitors are vulnerable to hackers. As parents invest in tech they believe will protect their families, the risk of hacking and security vulnerabilities go up.

Scary, right? The problem is that many users don’t think of these innocent baby devices and gadgets as working just the same as a computer- with hacking and security risks.

So What kind of data can hackers get from these kinds of devices?

A hacker can get  full access to all of the same controls that you do when logged in remotely. This means the talk-back feature or the ability to pan and zoom the camera.

But don’t worry—I have tips on how to secure new baby tech. Here's how to keep your devices secure.

Secure Your Monitor

Before you buy a monitor, do your research. Know what features make certain devices more secure and know which companies are reputable. Be aware of the ins and outs of your monitor so that you can be quick to respond should it be hacked.

Update Software Regularly

How often do you see notifications for updates on your computer or smartphone? And How often do you actually update?

Hackers are smart and quick; as soon as new software is available for a device, they are at work trying to pull it apart and get into it. All of those updates that you see pop up can help to slow them down, keeping your device safe with the latest protection and software.

Change the default name and password. The first step to improving the security of your wireless local area network (WLAN) is to change the preset service set identifier (SSID). IoT devices have preset default usernames and passwords, and because they are all the same for everyone you should choose a unique password and that’s long and complex, not just password1234.

Segment your Wi-Fi. It’s good to have a separate network for all the baby stuff so you can control who has access to it.

If your home is Wi-Fi and IoT enabled, you can be the cybersecurity expert in your house.

Let us know what you’re doing to help protect you and your family from invasive attacks in the comments below.

For more tips and tricks, here’s a video from CompTIA for additional cybersecurity and baby tech.