Cyber Security Awareness Month
Week 5: Smart Device Week

Ok, Smart Device: let’s be friends

Our electronics are becoming smarter than ever. So smart, they can anticipate when you get home, when you need to buy more milk, and remind you to buy a gift for your mom’s cat’s birthday.

Not smart enough, however, to start a robot rebellion (yet). Before the day comes when we might have to bow down to our toasters, it’s time that we recognize how our smart devices have simplified our lives and find out what we can do to keep them safe and secure.

2.8 million^{Note i} Canadian homes have a smart device

It’s not a popularity contest, but…^{Note ii}
41% of smart devices owned by Canadians are Bluetooth speakers
25% own voice-activated assistants (Amazon Alexa, Google Home)
17% own smart thermostats
16% own smart lights
15% own smart home security systems (smoke detectors, connected cameras)
15% own smart appliances (washing machines, smart fridges)
12% own smart plugs

Which means a lot of Canadians are spending time with their robot friends.

Here’s what they do together:^{Note iii}
13%
Listening to music,
Radio, and podcasts
17%
Reading the news
5%
Checking emails
3%
Checking social media

Communication doesn’t seem to be an issue, either.

30% of Canadians^{Note i} regularly use voice search or voice commands on their smart devices

But that doesn’t mean it’s not a love/hate relationship.

1 out of 4 Canadians^{Note ii} have engaged in a full conversation with their smart devices
1 out of 3 Canadians^{Note ii} have sworn at their smart devices
And unsurprisingly, Canadians are super polite. (Yes, even with their devices!)
7 in 10 Canadians^{Note ii} have said please and thank you to their voice-activated assistants

With all your devices connected to you and to each other, it’s more important than ever to keep everything secure.^{Note iv}

17% of Canadians use a guest network with a separate password for their smart devices and/or visitors
25% of Canadians have researched cyber security steps they can take to secure their smart devices

Make your smart home smarter:^{Note v}

• give your router a unique name
• make sure your Wi-Fi router has WPA2 encryption enabled
• use a strong, unique passphrase or password for your Wi-Fi networks and devices
• keep your software up to date
• set up a separate guest network on your Wi-Fi network for your smart devices
• set up privacy settings on all of your devices

GET MORE TIPS ON HOW TO APPRECIATE YOUR DEVICES AT GETCYBERSAFE.CA

Footnotes

1. i Digital 2020: Canada, Kepios, We Are Social, Hootsuite Inc., 2020


2. ii https://www.statista.com/forecasts/998510/smart-home-device-ownership-in-canada


3. iiiCanada’s Internet Factbook 2020, Canadian Internet Registration Authority, 2020


4. iv Get Cyber Safe Awareness Tracking Survey, EKOS Research Associates Inc., 2020


5. v 2017 Norton Wi-FI Risk Report, Norton by Symantec, 2017