MODERN homes today are getting internet-connected light
bulbs, thermostats, TVs and speakers. So with a simple voice command or the
touch of a button on our smartphones, we can set the temperature, turn on a
light or prepare the TV to record a program.
What could go wrong?
A lot more than most people are prepared for, it turns out.
If one of these devices gets hijacked, hackers could potentially snoop around
for sensitive data like financial or health information. Or they could use a
network of compromised devices to perform a widespread attack that takes down
major websites, which is what happened last October.
The good news is that so far, online attacks on home devices
are relatively uncommon. Only 10 percent of American consumers said they were
victims of the crime in a recent study done for the Hartford Steam Boiler
Inspection and Insurance Company. However, those who experienced such an attack
through their home gadgets reported losses of $1,000 to $5,000 from the
incidents.
“There’s still this whole sort of, ‘Gee whiz, it’s so cool’
thing that’s going on” with internet-connected home appliances, said Lee Tien,
a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on
digital rights. “That’s also what often gets us into trouble.”
Continue reading at Here
Is How to Fend Off a Hijacking of Home Devices.
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