Colorado-based yphi launches fortiphi, its first mobile app designed to connect, control and protect IoT networks in homes and small businesses. “With all the recent hacks of consumer and corporate networks through IoT devices (thermostats, cameras, and other popular Wi-Fi enabled products), the market is pleading for a simple, affordable and effective way to connect, control and protect the IoT world,” explains Chris Lundwall, yphi CEO. “The growth of IoT devices promised simplicity, but it’s delivered confusion and huge risk.”
Articles published earlier this year from Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal, have reported that setting up and managing Wi-Fi devices remains complicated and security is often an afterthought as security researchers showed how they could hijack a home’s email account by hacking the Wi-Fi enabled refrigerator.
“Cyber crime is evolving and ramping,” says Lundwall. “Hackers use new consumer devices to ransom consumers and attack companies. It’s safe and lucrative. If a bad guy locks your home computer through your vulnerable Wi-Fi devices and demands $250 in bit coins to unlock it, you pay it. You need your life back.”
The recent Mirai botnet cyber-attacks secretly hacked devices in the homes of consumers and impacted consumers and technology behemoths alike. fortiphi’s auto-quarantine feature quarantines devices when an unauthorized attempt to connect occurs, and notifies the customer. Consumers can release the quarantine, or retain the quarantine until they identify the intention of the connection.
fortiphi operates on routers that have open source firmware called DD-WRT, DD-WRT NXT or OpenWRT. Customers without such routers can purchase them from Linksys, ASUS, Buffalo or select the fortiphi annual subscription promotion that includes a fortiphi’d router.
“Our product is simple & relevant,” adds Mr. Lundwall. “fortiphi helps Android and iOS consumers and SMB’s connect, control and protect their IoT networks.”
For more information and news, please visit: www.getfortiphi.com.
