Do you ever think about the security risk of your favorite smart devices? If you never think about it, you are not alone. What eludes our minds is the convenience and heavy lifting these devices offer us.
Those instant alerts from your security camera whenever an intruder comes to your home, even if you are miles away.
Remotely talking to visitors or delivery guys through smart doorbells or setting the water temperature for the shower with a smart thermostat in your absence with no need to be present.
The list of benefits is endless. The question is how safe are they as they operate so close to us?
Example of a risk:
Imagine having a secret conversation or a private moment as your smart vacuum cleaner does the cleaning. Knowing that this device can draw a clear 3D map of your house, and use video cameras and radar navigation systems where someone else can view that information.
This should not only be directed to complex devices like a vacuum cleaner but also simple devices like Alexa which can record and remember recordings when asked
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Weakness of convenience
A 2023 report by Bitdefender shows an increase in cyber-attacks on home devices and the top device was smart TV sets.
We shall address the weakness in these devices from a cyber security perspective. To understand this, in more technical terms these devices are referred to as the Internet Of things . This means all devices that use the internet or other communication protocols like Bluetooth or hubs to operate.
In one way or another, they are computers of their own. Not to scare you to say but every computer can be hacked.
Therefore, whenever secure protocols are not followed in your home, bad guys can easily penetrate through any device and prey on your privacy.
Weak security can allow attackers to exploit these devices and potentially:
- Access privacy to your home: Commonly through unauthorized penetration tests done via Wi-Fi.
- Do a distributed denial of service attack (DDOS): This is where the devices are maliciously disabled to deny access to the user.
- Watch how an ethical hacker [video] illustrates how dangerous guys break into smart security cameras.
These devices are easy to attack mainly for three reasons:
- Weak hard-coded passwords: Most of these devices come with simple passwords that are easy to guess or common to every device and cannot be changed.
- They work with multiple protocols: There is no single protocol dedicated to securing these devices making it easy to penetrate them because they lack dedicated defense. They commonly use network protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zig Bee, and Wave.
- Smart devices do minimal tasks and that’s why security is not a priority in their manufacturing.
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Securing Your Smart Home:
It is a full-time job to ensure safety on the internet, but that should not discourage us from doing what is possible to be safe.
The following are some ways to avoid attacks on your devices:
Hard credentials/pins/passwords: Always change the passwords if possible and they should be hard to guess- a mixture of numbers, letters, and special characters is recommended.
Automatic Updates: Set the devices to auto-updates so that you don’t miss regular security upgrades.
Limited Access: Only connect devices to the functions you need. For example, do not subscribe to settings you do not trust such as device access to contacts, or sometimes GPS.
Shut off when unused: This is the best option to avoid attacks, consider turning off devices when not in use to minimize attack opportunities.
Apply multi-factor authentication: This adds an extra layer of security, often requiring a code sent to your phone.
Separate Networks: If possible, create separate Wi-Fi networks for simpler devices on 2.4 GHz and more critical ones on 5 GHz.
Conclusion:
Taking proactive steps to safeguard our smart homes can significantly mitigate these risks. Simple measures such as regularly updating passwords, enabling automatic updates, and limiting device access are crucial first steps.
Additionally, employing multi-factor authentication and segregating networks for different types of devices can further bolster defenses.
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Share with us your security thoughts about these devices.
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