Avira joins forces with TP-Link to offer wi-fi routers with IoT security

Avira has announced of its partnering with TP-Link to protect smart home users from internet threats. Avira SafeThings, a security solution embedded in the router, will transform TP-Link’s Wi-Fi routers into home protectors.

Pingji Li, VP & GM of TP-Link Networking BU, says, “As a leading brand in the networking field for over 20 years, we attach great importance to the networking experience and cybersecurity. In recent years, since IoT (Internet of Things) devices are becoming increasingly popular, the router stands in an optimum position to keep IoT devices safe. It is a privilege for us to cooperate with Avira, a top-notch software company that excels in IoT security, to make customers’ homes better and safer.”

Travis Witteveen, CEO at Avira, says, “The router is the best place to enhance security and privacy for the modern connected home. Controlling what devices are able to do, with whom and what they communicate is essential to taking back control. Partnering with TP-link is a major milestone in our customer promise, protecting people in the digital world. Together we will deliver IoT security globally to billions of users. Making the world a safer place.”

Watch out for the wave

A flood of smart devices has made its way into our homes and lives, and it is only going to increase. The number of smart devices used in the home is soaring. According to experts, it will jump from 7.0 billion in 2018 to an expected 21.5 billion by 2025*. This number includes connected devices such as laptops, desktop computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as devices that users might not see as potential risks to their privacy like smart TVs, baby monitors, wearables, and smart thermostats.

The smart risks are mounting

Demand for connected devices and the addition of smart functions into everydaydevices has exploded in recent years. But there are some basic considerations that have been neglected. Many devices come with hard-wired or difficult-to-change passwords and opaque update policies which limits their security. Also, poor user privacy poses a problem. Smart devices can send a huge amount of data – often unencrypted – about the physical and online life of customers. It’s often unclear just what that smart device is doing, with whom it is exchanging data, and whether this personal data is going way beyond the needed functionality of the particular device. Users should be mindful of the risks, i.e. vulnerable smart thermostats can tell burglars if the family is away from home, cybercriminals can access the video stream of a baby monitor, and smart TVs can harvest significant amounts of user data which they then share with advertisers.

A safer tomorrow for the smart home

TP-Link is teaming up with Avira to ensure comprehensive protection for all internet connected devices in the home, including smart TVs, smart thermostats and all the other IoT devices connected to the home network that cannot usually run security software.

Powered by Avira SafeThings, select TP-Link Wi-Fi routers will include a complete home network security solution with privacy features, malware and DDoS protection, and more. Avira SafeThings uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect anomalies in the behavior of smart devices, intercepting cyberattacks, unauthorized remote access, malware, and other threats. A mobile application gives users visibility over all connected devices, and helps keep them secure.

TP-Link and Avira will work continuously to enhance the security of the Wi-Fi routers. The joint initiative creates an opportunity for service providers worldwide to add new cybersecurity value-added services to their portfolio, secure their infrastructure and increase customer loyalty.