As 2017 winds down, we all start looking ahead and anticipate what’s to come for 2018. For us at McAfee, that means examining what the cybersecurity landscape will look like in the new year, and what threats we think will be on the rise. The Report examines what the state of cybersecurity is going to look like with new devices, new risks, and new threats appearing every day. I found two main predictions that consumers need starting thinking about now.
Top 2018 threats predictions for consumers
Homes will become the ultimate storefront
Most of us view our home as a safe and private space. But as IoT devices fill households everywhere, companies will have powerful incentives to observe what you are doing in your home, and probably learn more than you want to share. The McAfee Labs team predicts corporations will get creative with IoT devices and explore new ways to capture the data shared with them. They’ll find ways to adjust to data privacy fines, and change the terms and conditions on your product or service to cover their lapses. Simply put, it’s going to be more challenging to secure your personal privacy when using IoT devices. What’s more – this means the next year will probably see a significant increase in data breaches.
Securing your child’s digital future
Children are introduced to the digital landscape earlier than ever before. And although they face an exciting future of gadgets, services, and experiences, they also face bigger risks to their privacy. Our Labs team believes that in 2018 organizations will begin to collect and leverage the digital content generated by children to achieve user app “stickiness,” which means its important parents begin teaching them how to make the most of this bright future while using apps and devices in a secure way. The way we share online makes our lives very public, so the consequences of a thoughtless post or online interaction can unfortunately do some serious damage.
How to stay protected
It’s important you get proactive in order to prevent these predictions from impacting your personal security in 2018. You can protect both you and your family from these incoming threats by following these tips:
- Keep security top of mind when buying an IoT device. When you’re thinking of making your next IoT purchase, make sure to do your research first. Start by looking up the device in question’s security standards. A simple Google search on the product and manufacturer will often do the trick.
- Talk to your kids. The best way to ensure your child is staying safe online is to talk to them. Ask them about what they do online and encourage safe behavior like avoiding interacting with individuals they don’t know in real life and being selective with the data they give to apps and services.
- Fight IoT attacks with streamlined security. Instead of managing the security of each individual IoT device in your home, use a more streamlined security technique, like protecting the network that all of these apps connect to with McAfee Secure Home Platform.
And, of course, stay on top of the latest consumer and mobile security threats by following me and @McAfee_Home on Twitter, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.
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