Keeping the Castle Safe: Home Network Protection & Your Kids

The Castle

Our homes are the beautiful fortresses where we return at the end of the day to rest, recharge and spend time with that which matters most to us: our families. Like a mighty castle, our home is the center of our bustling world. The royal family resides inside its sturdy walls and the wealth of the kingdom is stored safely within its vaults. A castle has various layers of defense to keep the treasures inside safe from enemies who might want to steal, kill or destroy. As parents, we must secure our homes just like a castle by building defenses that will keep our families safe.

Criminals no longer need to break down the front door and walk into your house to have access to your bank accounts, medical records or even your family photos. They merely need to gain access to your technology, which is a feat that can be done from the other side of the globe. If your castle is not properly defended, these enemies can break in and conquer your kingdom in the blink of an eye.

The Bad Guys

First off, let’s take a look at the enemy who is marching up to your gates. The bad guys – also known as bad actors – are constantly on the lookout for new and clever ways to hack into your home’s technology. Here are four common (and often successful) tactics that they might employ to gain access to your network:

• Phishing:  These are emails that create a sense of urgency to click on a photo or link. When the link is clicked, a malicious file is downloaded onto your computer. Phishing scams can be very cleverly composed to appear as if it is from a company or sender you know, so be very careful about what you choose to open!
• Malware:  This is a malicious code created with the intent to steal or destroy sensitive information on your computer.
• Viruses: Malicious files that spread through your entire network like the common cold.
• Ransomware: This may occur after a successful phish, malware or virus has been released onto your network. Ransomware forces the owner to pay a ransom in order to gain access to their computer again. Keep in mind, paying the ransom is not a guarantee that you’ll have access to your files restored.

The bad actors have no remorse about hacking into your home’s network.  If they are successful, the results could be disastrous.  Worse yet, it puts your family in harm’s way.  How then, as parents, can we protect our homes and kids from these malicious attacks? 

Raise Your Shields

The first thing you must do to secure your castle is make the investment in a home network protection device. This is separate from – and in addition to – your Internet Service Provider’s router. There are many options available, so do your research for what fits best with your current season of life.

Next, install the home network protection system. Turning the device’s firewall “on” will effectively raise the shields against incoming attacks. Every different operating system – whether it be Windows or Mac based – needs some sort of protection. Be sure to take the time to configure exactly which websites and applications you want blocked. There are a variety of features that are specifically designed to protect your children, which I will explore in the next section.

Third, take inventory of all the devices on your network. This will help you to understand what should be there, and what shouldn’t. You can set your home network protection system to alert you and require your approval before any new device joins your network. Be absolutely sure you trust the device and user before you allow it onto your network, otherwise you open yourself to potential attacks.

Once you have completed these first three steps, it’s time to patch any holes you have in your defenses. Ensure that each of your devices has the most current version of the operating system installed, and that any patches for them are up to date. You can set your patches to run automatically – while you’re sleeping, even – to ensure they are the most current in defense technology.