I have HAOS operating on a X86 NUC and I communicate with it using my laptop and a wireless connection. The laptop has NordVPN installed.
When I log into home assistant I need to disconnect from the vpn and connect using http. My concern is that even though the communications traffic remains on my local network it is still broadcasted over the airwaves. As such, my traffic could be monitored and my information compromised. Is there anyway I can secure this traffic? Or, am I misunderstanding something?
If you encrypt your traffic with ssh keys and use https:// connections you will obfuscate things. Otherwise not. This goes for all your traffic on WIFI.
Personally I think it’s over kill. If someone wants your data they will get it. But you do what makes you sleep well at night.
You do realize that with something like nordvpn, you are encrypted out to their server, but out of their server to your target your traffic is no longer encrypted. Your IP is different, but your data in your traffic is back to data again unless you are using https for that as well.
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You are absolutely correct on both points. With NordVPN data is encrypted from my device to their servers only. Also, if someone wants your data badly enough they will find a way to get it. Devices such as the Wi-Fi Pineapple from Hak5 and conferences such as the DEF CON hacking conference promote such nefarious behavior. And it isn’t only data that can be taken. A signal amplification relay attack may also cause your vehicle to disappear.
I found a discussion in this forum, Home Assistant OS with HTTPs Setup by default, which is dated May 2022. I will read it. Since it is a feature request and it apparently has not been incorporated yet it may not be technically feasible.
Thank you for taking the time to respond.