Smart devices security

Smart devices exposed to 12,000 attacks a week

An investigation from Which? discovered that homes filled with smart devices could be vulnerable to up to 12,000 hacking attacks from anywhere in the world.

On average, each UK household has 10 smart devices connected to the internet, including smart speakers, TVs, cameras and computers. Each of these devices are able to be accessed by an attack, giving them access to many features of a smart home, as well as cameras, such as doorbell and laptop cameras, which is a large security risk.

During their investigation, Which? set up a fake “smart home” by linking multiple smart devices to an Internet connection and seeing how many attempted attacks there were. 

In the first week of testing the researchers observed 1017 unique scans, 66 of which were with malicious intent.

During the week with the most attempts, there were 12,807 scans, and 2435 attempts to maliciously log into devices which had weak default passwords.

The most targeted devices in the testing were an Epson printer, an ieGeek branded wireless camera and a Yale smart home security system. The ieGeek camera was easily compromised, allowing a hacker to access the video feed.

All attacks against the printer and security system failed because they had reasonably strong default passwords in place. However a strong default password alone still is not enough protection.

The use of default passwords can cause a much higher amount of breaches in smart devices as hackers will be able to easily gain access to a device as they can force their way past the weak, default passwords. However, the government has recently introduced a new legislation to protect smart devices in people’s homes from being hacked. Default passwords for internet-connected devices will be banned, and firms which do not comply will face huge fines.

With the move to remote working, more and more people are connecting remotely to work systems, working from home or coffee shops, leveraging shared office spaces, and using cloud services, bypassing corporate firewalls and leaving your business vulnerable.

As an employer, it is important to have assurance that, wherever your people are working from, your systems and data are protected. Protect employees wherever they connect, at home, in the office or on the go. Our partnership with Todyl’s Secure Global Network (SGN) cloud platform makes connecting and securing distributed businesses simple and cost-effective, helping you support productivity in a world outside of the office. 
To see more about Todyl and what we provide at Fundamentals First, visit our website and help secure your business.

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