Smart homes consist of\nmany devices that perform different tasks and are connected to the Internet of\nThings (IoT). It doesn’t matter whether these devices are different from each\nother. What matters is what they do to make their users’ lives easier. Although\nthese devices have revolutionized life in the home, they also create dangers\nthat have never been seen before regarding the security of homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The number of smart home\ndevices is expected to increase by about 17 percent each year until 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means that 1.6\nbillion smart home devices will be sold. This estimate is in line with the ever\nincreasing use of smart home appliances around the world. The study \u201cIoT Device\nSecurity: Locking Out Risks and Threats of Smart Homes\u201d conducted by Trend\nMicro, one of the global leading companies of cyber security, also reveals different levels of possible attacks against the Internet of Things devices while\nexamining different smart home attack scenarios in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A smart\nhome makes it possible for its users to have a comprehensive access to many\nfeatures of their homes, even when they are far away. For example, users can\nmonitor their homes in real time with a mobile application or web interface, or\ncommunicate with their children through a smart toy, or remotely unlock the\nsmart lock for a trusted friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This and many other scenarios suchlike\nare quite useful if users have good control and viewability on their installed\ndevices. However, if this control and viewability gets into the hands of\nmalicious players, problems begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulnerability in devices, improper installation, and the use of predetermined passwords are factors that can cause cyber hackers to take control of at least one device in smart home systems. As a result of the capture of a single device, many actions based on the capabilities and functions of that device can be performed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nexample, an infiltrated smart toy can mean a direct risk to children. Cyber\n\u200b\u200bpirates can contact the child directly or record the child’s daily activities\nunnoticeably by using toys. Smart toys with vulnerability can be quite\ndangerous when infiltrating inside, although they are reliable for the child to\nplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study conducted by Trend Micro, gives an overview regarding scenarios that even the smart bulbs and robotic brooms are used by cyber pirates to disturb smart home owners, or obtaining their confidential information; as well as threats that can occur in various areas of the house, such as starting from the front door, living room, kitchen and bathroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although\nthe study is based on the smart homes, the same problems apply to all areas where\nvulnerable or incorrectly set devices are used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the\ndevices used in smart homes are also used in companies. Smart refrigerators and\nsmart coffee machines can be found in a company’s kitchen or in-house spaces\nthat employees use to take a break. In addition, many companies have smart\nbulbs that are used for the purpose of being the “Green Office\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portable\nand wearable smart devices also add a separate layer to the security concerns\nrelated to the internet of things, because these devices are accessible to both\ncorporate and home environments. Devices such as smart watches are brought to\nthe office by their users and they go home in the evening. Malware, which was\ntransmitted by one of two environments, can become a major threat by infecting\nthe environments where BYOD (bring your own device) policies are weak or lack of\nadequate security measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenarios\nmentioned show how the Internet of things has been integrated with people’s\nlives rather than showing what cyber hackers can do with smart devices. And such\nintegration can harm users while can make attacks on the Internet of things\napplicable for cyber-hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore,\nit becomes even more important that users secure their Internet of things\ndevices in their smart homes. Followings are some precautions that users can\ntake to secure and protect \u0131nternet of things devices in their smart homes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mapping should be made for all connected devices:<\/strong> All devices connected to the\nnetwork at home or company must be properly listed. Settings, usage\ninformation, firmware version and recent patches of these devices should be\nsaved. Through this step can be knowledgeable about which devices need to be\nreplaced or updated while determining the safety precautions that users need to\ntake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-set passwords and settings must be changed:<\/strong> Should be make sure that the\nsettings used by each device have strong security policies, and if they are not\nsufficient, they should be changed. Predetermined and weak passwords must be\nchanged to prevent attacks such as brute-force attacks and unwanted access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Security vulnerabilities should be identified:<\/strong> Patching can be a difficult\ntask, especially for large companies. But patches should be applied as soon as\nthey are published. For some users, patches might lead to disruption of their\nnatural processes. In such cases, virtual patching should also be considered as\nan option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Network partitioning must be implemented:<\/strong> Network partitioning should be\nused to prevent the spreading of attacks, and devices, which are thought to\ncause problems that cannot be removed from the network immediately, must be\nisolated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n