It’s a scary reality, but hackers want to secretly take over innocent smart-home devices like baby cams and thermostats to conduct Mirai-like botnet attacks. When their attacks slip through your home network security, hackers can at that point enlist internet-connected home devices in their larger attacks on networks, websites, and institutions like hospitals and banks. Securifi just announced at the Consumer Electronics Show an IoT security feature to prevent hackers from controlling your smart-home devices that works with its Almond 3 home router.
So what do you get for Securifi’s home internet IoT protection service, and how does work? First off, the Almond 3 mesh router differs from most routers because it can act as a smart-home device control hub. With IFTTT-like scripts and Amazon Echo Alexa compatibility, you don’t need another hub for your smart-home devices. The Almond 3’s combined roles of internet and Wi-Fi signal, and smart home systems and devices management, enables the router to both protect against attacks and to detect activity on the network and from home devices that indicate they have been compromised.
More: Securifi Almond 3 Smart Home Wi-Fi system review
Using machine learning algorithms, an Almond 3 with IoT security protection will identify all devices in your home that are prone to Mirai-like attacks. If it finds any such devices you will be notified and be able to block the devices from the network with a single tap in the Almond app. The system will also watch for unusual outbound internet traffic from your devices and will again send an alert if it appears your Nest thermometer, for example, is actively talking with outside servers. In addition, the security service will detect any action by your devices that indicates they’re working as zombies, that is, participating in a denial of service attack on external systems at the command of a remote system or user.
The Almond 3 routers using the IoT security service come equipped with their own robust security measures including cryptographically secure passwords — no default passwords are ever used, and the system employs bank-grade 2048 bit security and active device notification so that new and nefarious devices cannot latch on to your home network or smart-home system.
Securifi’s IoT protection feature will be available on a subscription basis starting January 23, 2017, initially just for the Almond 3 home mesh browser. Subsequently, it will be available for Securifi’s Almond+ and Almond 2015 routers. After a 30-day free trial, there will be an initial $4 per month subscription. According to Securifi, when additional planned features are added to the service, the fee will increase to $10 per month.
