Plymouth Police Share Security Tips For Smart Devices

Press release from the City of Plymouth:

March 25, 2021

With the rise in technology, more people continue to fall victim to fraud, scams or identify theft – and the Plymouth Police Department shares strategies to help prevent these crimes.

Because criminals use the internet to access personal information from phones, laptops, tablets and computers in most of these crimes, properly protecting smart devices is vital.

The Plymouth Police Department offers 10 tips to help users improve their security and help protect their personal information while using smart devices:

1. Use strong, unique passwords for each device and account. Store passwords in an encrypted password manager. Make sure the password is at least 8-10 characters long and is not a common word found in the dictionary. Use a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters, and avoid using personally identifiable information.
2. Use two-factor authentication on all devices, if available. This feature sends a second, temporary passcode via text, email, phone call or authentication app for extra verification while logging into an app or site.
3. Enable automatic updates on all devices that support it, including Wi-Fi routers. Automatic updates can shorten the amount of time that devices remain vulnerable to unpatched security flaws.
4. Be thoughtful about the placement of smart speakers in the home, as the microphones are generally always on. Alternatively, mute them when they’re not in use.
5. Aim security cameras only where they’re needed.
6. Periodically review and delete your smart speakers’ audio recordings. Amazon, Apple and Google allow for deletion in the settings of the respective assistants.
7. Think twice about whether to give devices access to the location data from a smartphone.
8. Disable Wi-Fi auto-connect on devices. Avoid doing personal business or work over public Wi-Fi.
9. Connect only to legitimate hotspots. Ask the service provider the exact spelling of the host’s hotspot.
10. Disable Wi-Fi auto-connect on your devices. Turn off Wi-Fi when not in use.

Residents who find themselves victim of this type of crime are encouraged to report it to the police by calling 911. Reporting these crimes allows law enforcement to better deal with the problem and observe trends.

This press release was produced by the City of Plymouth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.