2023-11-08 18:04:55
More and more households can be called smart homes, where residents use a wide range of IoT (Internet of Things), i.e. smart devices that can be connected to the Internet, from smartphones and smart TVs to virtual assistants. Research teams from several international universities have analyzed the local network interactions of mobile devices and applications and have shown that there are many threats to security and privacy. Traditionally, the home is the most intimate place in a family’s life. However, modern homes are equipped with a variety of electronic gadgets, from smartphones to smart devices. Everything is great, everything is comfortable, but have you ever thought that making your home “smart” can give you insight into every detail of your private life? For example, is a smart speaker vulnerable or not? These devices use cameras, microphones and other means to sense what is happening in their environment. Therefore, an important question is: can we trust these devices in our home? Is sensitive data really handled and protected securely? An international research team, led by IMDEA Networks and Northeastern University, presented groundbreaking findings on the security and data protection challenges posed by the growing proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and technically complex devices in smart homes. When we think of what happens inside the walls of our home, we imagine it as a private and trusted place. In reality, however, we are finding that the smart devices in our homes are pulling back this veil of trust and privacy in such a way that almost any company can find out what devices we have in our home, when we are at home, what we are doing, what we are talking about and where it is. our home. The research group’s comprehensive study “In the Room Where It Happens: Characterizing Local Communication and Threats in Smart Homes” delves for the first time into the complexity of local network interactions between 93 IoT devices and mobile applications, and reveals a number of previously unreported security issues with real-world consequences. and reveals a data protection problem. While local networks are generally viewed by most users as a trusted and secure environment, the study’s findings highlight new threats related to sensitive data inadvertently exposed by IoT devices within local networks, including unique device names, UUIDs and even uncovering home geolocation data collected by companies. “However, some spyware applications and companies abuse local network protocols to silently access sensitive data without the user’s knowledge. All they have to do is politely ask other IoT devices connected to the local network that use standard protocols like UPnP,” said Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez, Research Associate at IMDEA Networks and Co-Founder of AppCensus. The study shows that the local network protocols used by IoT devices are not secure enough, exposing sensitive information about our homes and how we use the devices. This information is collected in an opaque manner and facilitates the profiling of our habits or socio-economic level. How can we ensure the protection of our home? Change default passwords and ensure unique and complex passwords are set on all devices in your home. Regularly update the firmware and keep the devices up to date. Before using the tools, check the privacy policies and always read them so that you are aware of how user data is handled. Monitor any suspicious activity on your home network. Turn off features you don’t need or use.
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#scary #favorite #smart #devices #spy