How can you protect your privacy on smart devices? Champlain College has 10 tips.

Dan D'Ambrosio, Burlington Free Press
·2 min read

Now that you have that new Smartphone from Christmas, how can you make sure your privacy and security isn't compromised in the new year?

Champlain College's Leahy Center for Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity points out that millions of Americans, and thousands of Vermonters, received new smart devices that are part of the Internet of Things (IoT), meaning they're connected to the web with the ability to send and receive data.

"IoT devices are fun and help make day-to-day tasks simple, but with that comes the exposure of your personal information to these devices," Joseph William, director at Champlain College's Leahy Center, said in a news release. "You do not want your device to be part of the already growing 1.5 billion IoT devices that have been breached (in 2021)."

Those devices include not only smart phones, but also cameras and speakers, household thermostats and more, dramatically increasing vulnerability to cybercrimes. With that in mind, the Leahy Center compiled the following list of 10 tips to safeguard personal privacy and guard against cybercrimes:

  1. Change default passwords on all smart devices.

  2. Make sure passwords are secure. A secure password is at least 12+ characters and contains at least one symbol, number and uppercase letter. For optimal security, passphrases work best.

  3. Use two-factor authentication when possible.

  4. Avoid sharing location or analytics data on the device and its applications.

  5. Do not use duplicate passwords for multiple devices and accounts.

  6. Be aware of when — and what — devices are recording and what events they are keeping track of.

  7. Log out of accounts that are not in use.

  8. Disable unnecessary features that you do not use.

  9. Keep devices and software updated.

  10. Do research on a device and its security risks before purchasing it.

The Leahy Center at Champlain College provides digital forensics and cybersecurity services to a wide variety of organizations, from government bodies to local businesses.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Champlain College offers 10 tips to protect your digital privacy.