As I’m sure many of you AV Tweeps are aware, there were quite a few instances of digital signage hacking this year. One of the most recent incidents, the hacking at Union Station, has stirred up some concern regarding safety for digital signage.
Not to worry! Our team has put together 4 safety check steps to ensure that your digital signage is up to par regarding hacker prevention.
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Is your digital signage physically secure?
This may seem like a trivial question, but you want to make sure that your physical application is secure to prevent onsite tampering. If an intruder gains physical access to your display, it won’t take a mastermind hacker to redirect the content. The hacker could simply unplug your system and plug into their player.
Locks and impact-resistant safety glass can protect the screen against damage and prevent unintended access to the inside of the display.
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Are your passwords strong enough?
As a general rule of thumb, for digital signage systems as well as home devices, do not make your password something easily predicted – like Password1234.
Your first line of defense against hacking is a strong password. Be sure to change your password frequently, and do not share the information with non-essential personnel.
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Are you using a public network?
If possible, you should use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to increase security. Using a private network ensures data and access remain secure by creating an authentic, encrypted tunnel to pass data over public networks through a secure IP address.
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Do you have a crisis plan in place?
If you have taken all other preventative measures, and your digital signage has still been compromised, it’s vital to have a crisis plan prepared. Is someone in charge of monitoring the content? Who should you contact, should there be an issue? These are questions that need to be answered ahead of time. You can also install remote interrupts to shut down the signage if hacking is detected.
These four basic steps can help you safeguard your digital signage, and overall, protect your brand’s reputation! Be smart, and keep your digital signage safe.
Do you have any other tips for hacker prevention? We’d love to hear from you.