Household cybersecurity is not only about passwords and laptops. The network itself, along with the growing collection of devices attached to it, can become part of the household’s attack surface.

The risk is not limited to computers.

In a March 2026 public-service announcement, the FBI warned that criminal actors use residential proxy networks to route illicit traffic through legitimate home and small-business internet connections. The devices involved can include routers, streaming equipment, phones, tablets and other Internet of Things devices.

That matters because a compromised device may continue to appear, from the outside, as normal residential internet traffic.

Household cybersecurity starts with knowing what is actually connected.

Connected homes accumulate forgotten equipment.

A modern property may have cameras, access-control hardware, televisions, audio systems, lighting controls, thermostats, irrigation controllers, network storage, automation hubs and vendor-installed gateways. The more equipment that exists, the easier it is for an old device, unsupported router or forgotten account to remain in service long after anyone is actively managing it.

The practical response is visibility and maintenance.

The FBI recommends keeping operating systems, software and firmware current, prioritizing internet-facing vulnerabilities, monitoring home-network traffic and assessing connected devices for suspicious activity. For a household, that starts with a simpler question: do you actually know what is connected, who manages it and whether it still receives security updates?

For more complex networks, separating guest and smart-home devices from more sensitive systems can also reduce the impact of a compromised device.

Questions worth asking

  • Do you know which router, firewall and Wi-Fi equipment actually runs the home network?
  • Are any internet-facing devices end-of-life or no longer receiving updates?
  • Which cameras, smart-home hubs, TVs and vendor gateways are still connected?
  • Who has administrative access to the network and major household systems?
  • Can guest and smart-home devices be separated from sensitive devices?
  • If the primary network administrator is unavailable, can someone else recover access safely?

Sources

About this briefing

Northeast Continuity provides private household continuity, preparedness and resilience services. This article is general information, not engineering, legal, medical or emergency-response advice. In an emergency, follow instructions from local authorities and appropriate professionals.