Keeping smart hub devices secure

(KFVS) - If you're in the market for one of the new popular smart hub devices like Google Home or Amazon's Alexa, there are some things you should do in order to keep your personal information and conversations safe from these ever-listening devices.

The forefront of concerns for these types of technology are over privacy. People worry that a device always listening for voice commands will hear more than what they want them to hear.

Most of these devices are equipped with a 'mute' button that disables the microphone. Unfortunately, this also causes you to need to manually turn that button back on when you do want to talk to your smart hub.

Obviously, smart hubs need to be connected to the internet in order to function as designed. Experts say in order to keep your smart hub, and all the information it collects, secure that you need to keep your networks password protected.

Experts say it is also important to keep your smart hub updated. Fortunately, these devices fall into a category of modern technology that come with auto-updates, so consumers don't need to worry about them.

However, experts say it's also important to keep every device on your secure network updated as well. Everything from baby monitors to old computers can have vulnerabilities in them that can lead to unwanted visitors having access to your network, thus your smart hub and the information on it.

If you set up any payment methods to a smart home it is highly recommended that you set up a secondary verification for making purchases like a PIN number or verification password.

Additionally, experts say you should always keep an eye on tracking services for packages you order and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. If you do set up payment methods to your accounts, it's recommended that you use a credit card instead of a debit card because credit card companies tend to have better protection against fraud.

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