At an undisclosed location in Washington, D.C., Special Agents Tom Jeter and Rob Hoback are discussing how a casino’s computer network was recently hacked through a fish tank monitor. They also say a chain of stores in the U.S. was hacked because their European parent company’s network password was something akin to "password."
You might chuckle, imagining a guppy trying to type. But the agents stay straight-faced. They aren’t thinking about typing guppies. They’re thinking about lost sensitive data and trying to explain that any device connected to a network, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant, is a vulnerability.
Jeter and Hoback are cyber agents – part of the U.S. Secret Service’s Critical Systems Protection (CSP) branch.
They’re experts in searching for network vulnerabilities and locking them down.
When agents secure a location where the President or other protectees travel, CSP is there, too. They find the networks that may control door locks, elevators, ventilation and other risk factors. And, they find all the ways into those networks and secure them to deter criminals.
The routes into your network are myriad these days, Hoback says. Common vulnerable items are things most people don’t think twice about: Remote webcams, electronic toys, home monitors, smart TVs. He calls it the "Internet of Things," where new, connected products are being pumped out so fast that manufacturers don’t worry about making them secure.
It sounds overwhelming, as if only a cyber agent trained in securing locations for the President could do it.
"Not so," says Jeter. "It’s easier than most people think. Just look at your computer like your home. You wouldn’t leave your front door open when you go to work, so don’t invite someone to look at your computer as an easy target either."
Jeter and Hoback run through a full list of things that everyone can do to secure their own computer and network. Surprisingly, none of it is difficult and it won’t take all weekend.
A few of the cyber agent’s tips may be something you’ve heard before – like using complex passwords that could never be guessed. Other tips are less obvious but not impossible, like limiting the use of an administrator account and disabling "Remote Desktop Protocol."
Here’s how you, too, can protect your home like a cyber agent. But first, please secure or disable your network fish monitor.