Hackers could use them as stepping stone to another part of your network
The Internet of Things – gadgets we wear and install that are connected to a network – quietly mines information about us and can leave consumers vulnerable to a hacker, cybersecurity experts say. (iStock)
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The explosion of the so-called Internet of Things — the gadgets we strap to ourselves or install in our homes, offices and cars that are connected and controlled by a network — leaves a data trail for hackers. It can tell them when we’re home, what we’re saying, and about our health.
And attacks on machines, like the Jeep Cherokee that had its brakes and other controls remotely disabled last summer, also shows that these connected devices can be a back door for hackers.
It’s largely happening because manufacturers push technology to what it’s capable of, says Wright, president of Security Perspectives Inc., says. But they aren’t designing with security in mind, he said.
And most of us aren’t buying things with that in mind either.
Voice-activated TVs
It may come as a surprise, then, that if you’re watching TV, it could be listening to you.
“Smart TVs and appliances are sort of communicating either with each other, just monitoring your activity and deciding what you might want to do next,” Wright says. “You can give them commands like the way you do to Siri, but the TV manufacturers haven’t really had a lot to think about in terms of security like Apple.”
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