Traditionally, only a handful of household devices were connected to the Internet. Nowadays, we have everyday devices ranging from toasters, lightbulbs, TVs all connected to the Internet and with the possibly of being remotely controlled.  These devices often go by the name of Internet of Things or smart home devices. While these networked devices bring added convenience, efficiency, and peace of mind, they also bring unique perils to the smart home residents.

The more smart devices are connected to the home’s network, the more can go wrong. Malicious threat agents such as hackers can reprogram the devices to attack others, vendors can collect fine-grained information on your activities and behaviours, or your devices could become infected with malware possibly preventing you from entering your home or adjusting the temperature to your liking. Many of the manufacturers making these devices have shallow experience with information security and see security and privacy as a burden. As a result, many of the devices available in the market have little or no security backed into them. For example, some devices come with default passwords that are easily retrieved on the Internet, or they cannot be easily updated or reconfigured in a more secure or privacy-preserving way.

In August 2018, I was interviewed by Malmö University on a similar topic.  The interview was transcribed in Swedish but now you can read the full interview in English at the following link: http://iotap.mau.se/weak-risk-awareness-connected-homes/