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Retired FBI Agent Warns About Hackers, IOT Devices & Default Passwords

Jeff Lanza via Facebook

A retired FBI agent and cybersecurity expert said hackers can access people's information through IOT devices.

Jeff Lanza is presenting on cybersecurity and identity theft at an event in Paducah on Sept. 18. IOT devices are objects like refrigerators and thermostats that can connect to the internet and communicate with other devices.

Lanza said hackers can use these to hack into computer networks. He said people can prevent such infiltration by protecting their internet access and setting a strong password. He said people should be wary of ‘default passwords.’

“Making sure that when you bring devices into that network that you that you change the default password on those devices,” Lanza said. “A lot of times the hackers know printers--they know other devices that access our networks and they use the default passwords that have been set by the company.”

Lanza said hackers could use those passwords to access a connected computer network. He said the FBI and law enforcement agencies can’t stop cybercrime because they don’t have the resources to investigate where the crime originated.

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