Parent IoT Security Devices Update 1

Introduction

The Parent IoT Security team is researching different IoT devices used on home networks. An IoT (Internet of Things) device connects to a home network or other devices and transmits data to the internet. Each member of the group will be researching and testing individual IoT devices. As a group, we are looking to gauge how easy it would be for a non-technical person to secure their home and internet access.

The Devices

Norton Core

The Norton Core Router is more than just your average router. It is a bit pricey, at $279.99, with a subscription on top of it. It has a different look than most other routers. The Core takes up much less space than any other router, with no antennas sticking out of it and a cable clip to keep the cables out of sight. It comes in two colors – granite grey and Titanium gold. The Core has a small ring light under it that tells you if the router is working or if there is a problem with it.

Despite its sleek design, the Core is powerful. It is able to create different profiles on a network, including a guest mode for visitors. It even has a security score that helps you make sure your network is as secure as possible. The Norton Core can protect against viruses, hacks, malware, and other known attacks. Additionally, it can make sure your kids are safe on the internet.

The Core can be setup using one simple app. The setup is easy as long as you are using either your current WiFi router or a modem. The Core needs the modem to plug into to work, but it will take over the current router on the network. Once the Core is set up, you can add other users and their devices onto it. Within a few seconds, you can have everyone on the network, ready to stream, search, and play while your house is being protected.

dojo

The Dojo by Bullguard is one of the many IoT devices on the market that claims to make your home networks safer. It also claims to have an easy setup, and is the IoT device that will help keep the nontechnical common user safe. The Dojo comes with a one-year free subscription, but after one year, you have to pay $9.99 a month.

The Dojo is a two-pieced device with an app-based functionality. It has a white base that you connect to your router and a black device that sits on top of it (but can be moved with you). The second piece, the pebble, is a device that informs users if anything bad is happening on the network, signified by flashing lights on top. Green means your network is good. Yellow means your network prevented an attack. Red means there is an attack in session on your network. This product has a small drawback – it does not provide a web terminal interface. It only offers a mobile app interface. This means a smartphone is required to use the dojo to its full capability.

We were quite surprised by its various capabilities. It claims to protect your network by connecting to your router and monitoring what your devices do on the web. Our surprise escalated as we setup the Dojo. The setup was quite simple, but had many steps. It gives you the option to set up it by yourself or to call the company and have a representative help you setup the device. Dojo By Bullguard has more information about their support and services on their website.

Night Hawk

The Netgear Nighthawk R7000p is a router that features lots of wireless bandwidth. This router has integrated Circle smart parental controls. This costs $4.99 per month after the one-month free trial. The parental controls allow filtering by app, site, category, and age. The router also has the ability add remote storage or a printer to the network. You can access this when isolated from the device as well. It tries to cater to power-users by offering quality of service options. This allows traffic prioritization. It has 2 USB ports: a single USB 3 on the front, and a single USB 2 on the back. Also located on the back are the power and reset buttons and 5 Ethernet ports, one of which is a wan port. The connectors for the three large antennas are also located on the back. The router can be set up on its website, as well as with the Netgear Up app.

Our first experience setting up the router was confusing. It consisted of a confusing app ecosystem and convoluted setup process. This router is for consumers who desire ultimate performance at a reasonable price. The device is focused on speed and range. By partnering with Circle, the manufacturers were able to make a more secure product, rounding it out. The addition of Circle makes this router a great tool to help secure your IoT devices and smart home.

Testing

The Core is a small but mighty router, and we can’t wait to test what it offers. For starters, we want to test the parental controls per user. Each user can have their own age-filter, as well as websites that are blocked and allowed. This gives users different permissions. We also want to test out the security score, which the Core gives each user based on how secure the network is. How does the security score affect the network and how do other factors affect the score? Testing different security aspects of the Norton Core will give a better idea of what this router can do.

The Dojo is being tested in a controlled environment that we will set up. It will contain a router, a couple of devices, and the Dojo itself. After the environment has been setup, we will throw various cyber attacks against it to test its capabilities. Reaction, reaction time, and notification time, among other settings, will be tested. The various findings are going to be in future blogs.

The Netgear Nighthawk R7000P will go through a handful of tests that we will use for security purposes. We will learn more by using speed tests and the Circle web filter in a controlled environment. We can’t wait to see how it handles multiple users and services, and how the services work together.

Conclusion

The more we test the IoT devices, the more we learn about how the devices work together on the home network. With each test, we work on a new aspect of the device security. In our next update, we will each provide a report composed of what we have learned about these devices.

Stay tuned for more updates to come and follow us on Twitter @ChampForensics, Instagram @ChampForensics, and Facebook @ChamplainLCDI.

More Research Projects
The Internet of Things Team: An Inside Look
CyberTech: Creating a Safer Internet Through Education
Capstone Chronicles: The Networking Natural