Securifi, makers of the Almond 3 mesh router with built-in smart hub, has released an IoT device security service designed to protect against Mirai-like botnet attacks. Initially available for Almond 3, Securifi’s solution protects connected home devices like DVRs, IP cameras, and smart thermostats from a number of key online threats.
Starting January 23, 2017, all Almond 3 users can sign up for a 30-day free trial of the subscription-based service. The service will be subsequently rolled out to Almond+ and Almond 2015. Pricing will be $3.99 per month for a limited period and will increase to $9.99 per month when additional features are rolled out.
Securifi addresses the problem of IoT security and provides a solution. Since the Almond 3 mesh router features built-in home automation hub, it has a holistic view of both Wi-Fi and smart home devices, and can monitor traffic without resorting to techniques like ARP poisoning.
“The Mirai DDoS attack started with common household network devices like routers, cameras, DVRs, etc., and ended up bringing down the internet for large parts of the Eastern United States,” said Rammohan Malasani, CEO, Securifi.
“Manufacturers of such devices aren’t known to pay attention to security. Our new internet security service, running on Almond routers, protects home networks by identifying problematic devices before they become pawns in Mirai-like botnet attacks. Almond 3 is once again pioneering and redefining what a good home Wi-Fi system can deliver.”
Almond 3 uses robust machine learning algorithms to identify devices prone to Mirai-like botnet attacks. It scans the network for all devices prone to Mirai-like botnet attacks and sends notifications to the user via the Almond app. The user can then choose to block these devices from the network with just a single tap on the Almond app.
The Almond App will also alert the user if, for example, their Nest thermostat is compromised and is talking to a malicious server. At launch, this functionality will be available for around 20 of the most popular IoT and connected devices, like Nest, Amazon Echo, Wink, Smartthings, Hue, and more. Hundreds of devices will be added to this list on an ongoing basis.
Almond 3 will only monitor outbound traffic from these devices and will not decrypt any data packets. Like the post office, it reads the addresses on the letters and records them, without opening or reading the letters.
Almond 3 will also detect if the network is compromised and if some of the devices are acting as zombie devices and participating in DDoS attacks. Users will be notified and be able to block these devices from the Almond app.
Almond 3 will keep track of web browsing history for all Wi-Fi devices connected to the network, so parents can then check the types of websites their children visit and talk to them around their surfing behavior. Surveys indicate that a discussion-based approach is more successful than blocking access to such websites, outright. This service is purely optional and is turned off by default.
In addition to the newly launched features, Securifi’s solution offers a holistic approach to IoT security at home. All of Almond’s core functionality runs locally (automation rules, scenes, device control, etc.). The Almond app also supports full local control for both Wi-Fi and smart home devices when a user is connected to the local Wi-Fi network. Remote access to the devices is provided via the cloud.
Other security features include automatic firmware updates over the air, randomized passwords, bank-grade encryption, and blocking and scheduling.
The solution is designed with users’ concerns around privacy and data collection in mind. Almond 3 will only monitor traffic from the IoT devices, data will not be decrypted, and data usage patterns will not be stored. Web browsing history will be stored only for seven days. Users have the option to delete the entire database from our servers at any point of time.
