The Canadian Security Audit Commission released its report today - it did not make good reading for enterprise Canada but more worrying was the residential space as we all start to flirt with smart home devices logged on to the internet controlled by your smartphone.
Chances are if you can control it someone else can too. The the early pieces of electronics on the residential front are not generally secure.
We have heard the hackers tapping into a baby monitoring devices and transmitting 80’s Rock the wires. While distressing for the baby and family, there is no real harm done. But it dose highlight the risks. criminal groups are targeting IOT devices to build a case for blackmail or looking to flood your home network with massive volumes of internet spam traffic so you pay the criminals to make it go away. We are not seeing a lot of any hacking to gain entry into the home via a smart doorbell / lock - but watch out it’s coming.
There have been a few instances of security cameras bending reroutes so live content is posted to the public web - could be embarrassing and compromising.
Move it up a notch to targeting CEOs at work and at home to blackmail them based on private information - it even has a name “Whaling”.
So, what can we do about it?
Embrace IoT slowly, buy products on a subscription model so there is redress back to a supplier and make sure there are regular security patch updates and apply them.
If there is a default password, change it and make it complicated.
Lastly, get your home network connect and PC’s bolted down with a digital firewall, and change your passwords quarterly.
Enjoy the revolution, it will be fun, save us time, and enhance our homes.
Nicholas Jeffery, a Vancouver based Smart City Expert, contributes regularly to IoT Economist.
Nicholas pivoted in the new millennia to bring his business acumen and strategic thinking to bear in the technology, media and telecommunications markets, helping companies flesh out their growth strategies, business development and sales operations.