Streamlining home network security [Q&A]
Whilst businesses can call on expert resources to secure their systems, for many home users protecting a home network and the devices attached to it can be something of a dark art.
Finnish security company F-Secure is aiming to make securing systems simple even for the non-technical with its forthcoming SENSE product. We spoke to Mika Majapuro, F-Secure's director of product management, to find about more.
BN: Can you give us an overview of what SENSE is?
MM: We've been building F-Secure SENSE for around one and a half years, the reason we started the project was we know that people have more and more connected devices. With the Internet of Things they'll have many more in future thanks to technology like smart TVs and smart thermostats.
The bad news is that all of these connected devices are hackable and there are worries that maybe your TV or your child's toy could be spying on you. We wanted people to be able to run a connected home but stay safe, secure and private.
BN: How does it work?
MM: SENSE is a combination of a Wi-Fi router, endpoint security and cloud service. You take the sense device home and connect it to your existing router, it then creates a new Wi-Fi network to which you move all of your connected devices. SENSE can then monitor all of the traffic going in and out of your home. If it sees something suspicious it can send information to the cloud for analysis. If there's a problem then action can be taken to block the connection and notify the user that maybe their connected toaster is trying to send traffic to China or receiving traffic from a malicious website. It's a behavior and reputation based service.
For devices like PCs and phones we also install an endpoint app which provides security for when they are taken out of the home. This provides antivirus protection, blocks tracking attempts and so on.
BN: Once you've bought that SENSE hardware is there an ongoing subscription?
MM: Yes, you buy the hardware which should be about $199 and that includes 12 months of subscription. After that you pay $8 per month but that’s for an unlimited devices so it doesn't matter whether you have 20 devices or 200 it's the same price. Since it also replaces your traditional antivirus product the cost becomes very competitive.
BN: How easy is it to set the system up?
MM: For home users, setting up security can be a painful process. With SENSE we really wanted to make it easy to use so we've used focus groups and redone the setup process more times than I like to remember. The app also gives you valuable information about your connected home, how many devices you have, where they're connecting, how they're behaving and so on. There's also a simple display that tells you when your home is secure and which will alert you if something is going wrong.
BN: Tell us a bit more about the SENSE gadget?
MM: If you look at traditional routers it's safe to say they're not the best looking devices and are something which you probably want to hide. We've tried to make the SENSE hardware something that you'd be proud to own and keep visible. The display will show if attention is needed so you can then go to the app to find out what's happening.
There's nothing special in the hardware, it has a 1GHz dual-core CPU and 512MB of RAM, the real magic is in the software and the cloud service.
BN: Does it replace your existing wireless router?
MM: No, it's an add-on. You attach the SENSE device to the router you received from your ISP, either with Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It then sets up a new wireless network to which you'll need to move all of your devices, network attached storage and so on.
BN: When will it be available?
MM: We announced SENSE at a startup event in Helsinki last November. We’re still in the final stages of development but in Europe and North America you can pre-order the product on the website and it will start shipping in early summer.