Can Smart Homes be Hacked?

Many of us want to create a state-of-the-art smart home with all the bells and whistles – but if you believe the tabloids, you might be opening yourself up to the risk of a cyber attack.

In the analogue world, you’d know pretty quickly if there had been a security breach in your home; because you’d probably be greeted by the sight of a broken door or smashed window.

It might be difficult to deal with the fall-out, but at least there’s a tell-tale sign of how to prevent a repeat. In the modern age, the mass popularity of smart home technology, social media and cloud-based data has opened up a new, more hidden threat. But how real is it?

Cyber crime is growing quickly in the UK – but in terms of individual homes being subjected to direct hacking, the numbers are still tiny in comparison to physical burglary.

Nevertheless, with more of our lives now online (estimates suggest the average household will have have 15 internet-connected devices come 2020), criminals can access so much more than your personal possessions. Among the areas cyber crooks might target are bank details, credit card information and identity documents. So it’s important to stay safe.

Hacking smart technology

In mid 2017, an investigation by consumer watchdog Which? revealed that much smart tech was vulnerable to hacking. From common routers through to CCTV cameras and even children’s toys, the number of issues with smart technology security raised plenty of eyebrows.

The report garnered a lot of media attention just as the idea of managing our daily lives iva the internet of things (IoT) was taking off – leaving many homeowners to wonder how secure their gadgets really were.

Just a few months later, in the run-up to Christmas, voice-activated home tech came under yet more scrutiny. Tech security experts and publications were unearthing issues with elements such as security settings, always-on listening devices and drop-in intercom functions. Many of these required a physical on-site hack to older, poorly maintained hardware – but there’s no doubting the importance of bringing such vulnerabilities to light.

And just recently an Alexa gadget has reportedly recorded a homeowner’s entire conversation and sent it to a random contact.

“With artificial intelligence, retina scans, finger print unlocking, voice activation and all manner of IoT devices, the potential for cyber attacks has increased exponentially. The amount that Alexa knows about our daily routines and personal preferences can be quite scary,” says future living expert James Fenner, of marketers Silk Road.

“Despite the proliferation of smart home technologies, many people still question the safety of the IoT landscape: two-thirds of global consumers are very concerned about their data being hacked by cyber criminals.”

The dangers of weak passwords

The internet brings a connected home to life – but it’s important to be aware that connectivity brings risks. Our home networks carry critical information between all of the devices they’re hooked up to. Laptops, mobile phones, voice assistants, security systems, heating controls and more all use the same network, so it’s vital you have a robust, high-performance infrastructure that you can rely on.

But it’s not as simple as getting a professional to install a fit-and-forget setup. Every device needs to be properly protected – and responsibility for this often comes down to the user.

“One of the main reasons for being hacked is that people fail to change the default username or password on their internet-connected devices; whether it’s for security cameras, baby monitors etc,” says Chhaya Landschultz of CEDIA member Indigo Zest.

Instead, poeople often purchase a smart home product and plug it straight in; but those out-of-the-box passwords are easily generated and potentially straightforward to discover in online manuals.

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