Hackers in Europe recently took control of refrigeration systems inside grocery stores, raising temperatures and ruining food.<\/p>\n
The incident is a reminder that cyberattacks are no longer limited to stealing passwords, credit card numbers, or personal information.<\/p>\n
Hackers can also target internet-connected devices that control physical equipment.<\/p>\n
And some of those devices may be inside your home.<\/p>\n
The FBI has warned for years about the risks of internet-connected devices, often called IoT devices. There are also documented cases of hackers gaining access to consumer security cameras, garage door systems, and other connected technology.<\/p>\n
The problem is that many people may not realize how many devices in their homes are actually connected to the internet.<\/p>\n
That list can include:<\/p>\n
In many homes, dozens of devices may be connected to the same WiFi network.<\/p>\n
See What Is Connected to Your Network<\/p>\n
One of the easiest things you can do is open the app or settings page for your WiFi router.<\/p>\n
Look for a section labeled Device Manager, Connected Devices, or something similar.<\/p>\n
You may be surprised by what you find.<\/p>\n
Some devices may have been connected years ago and forgotten. Others may be smart-home products you use every day without thinking about their internet connection.<\/p>\n
Every connected device can potentially create another point of attack if it is not properly secured.<\/p>\n
Start With Your Router<\/p>\n
Your router is the gateway between your home network and the internet, so securing it should be the first step.<\/p>\n
If you have never changed the administrator login information, do it now.<\/p>\n
Some older routers shipped with default usernames and passwords that are widely available online.<\/p>\n
Use a strong, unique password that you do not use anywhere else.<\/p>\n
You should also check for available firmware or software updates. Router manufacturers regularly release updates to fix security vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n
Put Smart Devices on a Guest Network<\/p>\n
Another step is creating a separate guest WiFi network for your smart-home devices.<\/p>\n
Connect things such as security cameras, TVs, smart speakers, doorbells, thermostats, and appliances to that network.<\/p>\n
Keep your computers and phones on your primary network.<\/p>\n
That separation can help limit the damage if one of your smart devices is compromised. An attacker who gets into a poorly secured camera or appliance may have a harder time reaching the computers and phones where you keep more sensitive personal information.<\/p>\n
Smart Devices Are Convenient, But They Need Security Too<\/p>\n
Cyberattacks can come from other countries, organized hacker groups, criminals, or even pranksters.<\/p>\n
You may not be able to stop someone from trying to attack your network.<\/p>\n
But you can make your home a much more difficult target.<\/p>\n
Start with your router, use strong passwords, install updates, and take a few minutes to see exactly how many devices in your home are connected to the internet.<\/p>\n
\nCopyright 2026 Maranatha Broadcasting Co., Inc.. All Rights Reserved.\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hackers in Europe recently took control of refrigeration systems inside grocery stores, raising temperatures and ruining food. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":914152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[7257,4002,174,381911,10040,5254,74],"class_list":["post-914151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-internet","tag-cybersecurity","tag-hacking","tag-internet","tag-internet-connected-devices","tag-iot","tag-smart-home","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=914151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/914152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=914151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}