Smart home appliances meet the pursuit of a higher level in our living environment, and the comfortable and convenient intelligent experience attracts the majority of consumers to install. However, the network security risks brought by smart home appliances are emerging one after another, which should not be underestimated.
The first is the formation of "botnets". As more and more IoT devices are put into use, they are likely to fall victim to "botnets" and become "traditional botnets" in large-scale cyber attacks. Because IoT devices have a much lower level of security protection than computers, they are much more numerous, making them the first choice for criminals to build botnets in recent years. In 2016, this botnet attack using IoT devices caused widespread cyber disruptions in the United States and Europe. In 2018, botnet attacks mainly targeting smart TVs were first detected in the United States. These controlled smart devices can also have more serious consequences. For example, criminals use botnets to turn on high-power power-consuming equipment such as air conditioners and refrigerators in a certain area at the same time, causing a sudden surge in power demand from the power grid, which in turn leads to local large-scale power supply interruptions or even large-scale power outages.
Second, it is very easy to leak privacy. The very popular Roomba robot vacuum cleaner can make a simulated map of the house based on the movement around the house, and this data will be sent to a third-party server. Similarly, hackers may also obtain user passwords from WiFi networks through smart home appliances, and even grasp data about the use of electrical appliances to calculate the user's activity time, so as to judge the user's life rules and other privacy.
Third, it is very easy to cause all kinds of crimes. The most common devices used to collect information are smartphones, surveillance devices, home appliances, etc., which collect a wide range of data: audio material, email and device status, and more. If a targeted cyber attack is launched against someone, it is almost possible to observe his life, and the collected data can then be used for various purposes - extortion, disruption of business activities or personal interests, etc. For the victim, such data collection often goes undetected, and he doesn't even know he's being tracked. The most dangerous scenarios include hackers getting their hands on this private information, device owners' partners being able to track when users are and who they're spending time with, and thieves being able to confirm when users aren't at home.
Remind the public that when buying smart home appliances, they should buy qualified products from regular manufacturers, modify the username and default password as soon as possible, and install a webcam with a gimbal at home that requires regular software upgrades and other precautions. Call on relevant departments to establish a data compliance governance system for the smart home appliance industry, formulate laws and regulations on data governance for smart home appliances, provide guidance and guidance for the home appliance industry to participate in the construction of a data security system, urge enterprises to strengthen internal management, strengthen technological upgrading and transformation of facilities, enhance system prevention, and timely repair relevant technical vulnerabilities involved in hacker intrusion and brushing "faces", so as to effectively reduce the potential safety hazards of smart home appliances.