When your Security IS the problem

Sadly, taking proactive steps to protect you, your family or business is a necessary step in today’s world to give you real peace of mind.

Criminals are getting smarter, our police ever more stretched and the whole thing just feels more out of control.

However there is some good news…

As technology moves forward we have more choices as to the systems and devices available and they are more accessible than they have ever been – often you can be just a couple of clicks away from a bit of tech that should in theory keep us safe.

But what happens when those devices you think are keeping you safe are actually opening you up to a whole new level of intrusion.

That was exactly what was identified in a recent BBC Panorama (Hacked – Smart Home Secrets)

If you haven’t watched it, it’s pretty sobering – but important to see.

I won’t take you through a blow by blow account, but it highlighted the problems with many “off the shelf” systems and devices as to how easy they are to hack by people anywhere in the world.

The programme shows some genuinely unnervin real examples from home owners losing control of their devices, to them actually being watched in their own home through the very devices they hoped would protect them.

We highlighted the issues back in July 2016 with our post: Tips for Securing Your Home or Business CCTV System

The point behind the programme was that quite often off the shelf devices just don’t have the security built in that to protect them from being hacked – and scarier still where people are being watched in their home – it’s often not illegal. In once case highlighted within the program, 366 hours of the homeowners footage had been watched all over the world.

So what to do about it?

Firstly, get your devices from and installed by an expert.

There are some great options that can be bought online, that can be plugged in and ready to go but they are often, by their very nature, the “least secure” because they require no expertise.

Now obviously we are of course going to recommend this – that’s what we do – but as the BBC highlighted, often the “off the shelf” options are those that can be targeted by the criminals for the very reason that they are not chosen and installed by people with the real expertise for the job.

The whole reason behind adding security to your world is to give you piece of mind – so if you haven’t got a system you can completely trust – then it defeats the whole point.

So does this mean you need a whole new system?

Not necessarily – what you have might be doing the job you need, but we would absolutely recommend you get an expert to check it and advise you on how to use it properly and what you can do enhance your security and safety.

As you probably know Rossells have been home and commercial security experts for nearly 100 years but that’s only because we also have a passion for keeping people safe and giving them piece of mind.

It’s our business.

If you’d like a chat either about an existing system or you are thinking about installing something to keep your premises, home or family safe we are only a call away on 0116 2628899