How Secure Is Your "Smart" Home?

Apetech Website: https://www.apetech.me/social https://anchor.fm/apetech/message Email: [email protected] Twitter:  @apetechda I was planning on talking about the future of warfare but then as I was researching that topic, I stumbled upon a video from Dan from What’s Inside.  If you aren’t familiar, What’s Inside is a popular YouTube channel where they cut things open.  Dan and Lincoln started the channel many years ago and after some growing popularity, they started a family channel where they show their fans a more behind the scenes look at their personal and “private” life.  A little over a year ago, Dan and his family purchased a plot of land and began building out their forever home.  This home is super advanced and has automation built into the entire house.  Dan created a series of videos showing his fans the ins and outs of his house and they even had their house listed on a tour that allowed you to walk through the entire house right before the pandemic started.  So, what does this have to do with cyber security? In one of the many episodes Dan published, he showed how his home automation was set up. He showed the server room and basically an in depth view of all the IP cameras and other smart home gadgets and devices he has throughout his huge house.  Additionally, when he was testing his internet speed, he flashed up the speed along with his IP address.  It turns out that a cyber security specialist from Europe was able to get into their IP cameras and see the live feeds.  This to me, and obviously to them, is super scary.  And I want to talk about this, because it’s nearly impossible to go to an electronics store and not see product after product on creating a smart home.  I want to discuss some things on my mind when you are buying these products and also talk about some tips I would recommend if you are introducing these devices into your home. People like automation.  They like the convenience you get when you can turn things on and off around your home with the power of your voice.  I get it, I have many devices like this all around my house to make things easier.  From smart bulbs, smart outlets, voice assistants, smart fridges, smart washing machines, the list goes on. It seems that manufacturers are basically making almost every aspect of your home smarter.  And if you remember from movies from our past, you’d probably think that we are behind!  Nonetheless, the majority of these devices rely on a home network in order to facilitate the automation that they provide.  And this where things can start to get scary.  Unless you are actively interested and engaged in the cyber security space, you probably aren’t thinking about the dangers of introducing these devices to your home.  But, having these devices adds more vectors to your home, network, and overall privacy. Let’s talk about that some more. Every device you introduce into your home is a new area that someone with some malicious intent can take advantage of.  Some devices are created by reputable brands and others are created by not so well known brands.  If you look up smart X on Amazon, you’ll be flooded with devices from brands/manufacturers that you probably don’t recognize.  But, because these devices are cheap, you buy them and integrate them into your home network.  Is this dangerous?  I think so.  Introducing these devices, whether from reputable brands or not, is a safety risk that you are accepting. You see, even devices such as Ring Doorbells have been known to have significant security flaws.  I worry even more when buying devices from companies that don’t have dedicated software engineers. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/apetech/support