You could be at risk if this device in your home is connected to the Internet

In general, any device that connects to the Internet via WIFI can be hacked or even used against you. can be used for espionage. It is predicted that by 2027, there will be 29 billion such devices in use worldwide, giving hackers 29 billion opportunities to gain unauthorized access to various networks. Fortunately, however, there are solutions you can use to ensure your protection. Before we get to them, let’s consider that

what smart devices you have may be at risk.

1. Smart speakers

Smart speakers and the home assistants available through them can make people’s lives more comfortable, as they allow you, for example, to play music through voice commands, turn on other smart devices or set reminders. However, it must be taken into account that

their use represents a cyber security risk.

This is proven by the fact that in 2022, a cyber security researcher named Matt Kunze was able to exploit a software security hole managed to hack it the Google Home Mini smart speaker, making it suitable for eavesdropping. A similarly dangerous vulnerability was discovered in 2022 in Amazon’s Alexa device, which allowed it to take control of the Amazon Echo speaker and then send malicious instructions for yourself.

Such cases are not very common, however, experts recommend that always keep the software of your home assistants and smart speakers up to date by installing the latest updates.

2. Smart bulbs

The use of remotely controlled and customizable smart light bulbs is not without risk either. In August 2023, researchers from the University of Catania in Italy and the University of London discovered that due to some security flaws, TP-Link smart bulbs can be hacked, thereby obtaining their owners’ WIFI ID and password. This is also worrying because

unauthorized persons can access all devices connected to the home network.

It also applies here that it is always worth using the latest version of the software.

3. Baby monitor

Experience shows that even baby monitors connected to the Internet are not safe from hackers. There has also been an alleged case of an attacker using the microphone of the Owlet baby camera woke a child in the middle of the night, to talk to him while regularly scared him to death.

Home cameras and baby monitors can also be hackedalvaro gonzalez / Getty Images Hungary

As it turned out later, the login data of the device may have come to light during a data breach, in other words, practically anyone could access the baby monitor with the information. The manufacturer later claimed that it had reviewed all available data and found no evidence of suspicious activity.

However it happened, in order to avoid such risk factors, experts cannot help emphasizing that use unique, strong credentials for each of your accounts, and enable two-step authentication. This way, you can prevent your device from being hacked and at the same time you can be informed about the attempts.

Tips to reduce the risk of your devices being hacked

In addition to installing updates, you might consider using a VPN, which increases your protection on the WIFI network by encrypting the connection. It can also be a solution if you use your smart devices via a separate network. As mentioned above, in all applications where this option is available, it is recommended to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) is.

Are you curious about the most commonly hacked passwords? by clicking here you can find out.

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