Do the designers even care about security?
How can we be better protected?
A software update caused the breach, and it was fixed after an hour.
Pawel Czerwinski / Unsplash
This highlights the problems inherent in all smart home gadgets.
The underlying problems remain, though.
Internet-of-Things devices, as these smart home gadgets are classified, are not designed to be secure.
Flex Point Security / Unsplash
The problem is designers and vendors are more interested in features than security.
This leads to ubiquitous vulnerabilities that can be exploited."
One answer is government regulation, like we have for keeping our food safe, andEU cell phone roamingcheap.
Regulation would force minimum standards on vendors, and punish them for breaches.
“Regulation is not necessarily the silver bullet in making sure IoT devices are secure,” says Tyrrell.
“Instead, we should look at regulation as a step in the right direction.
Others are opposed to regulation entirely.
Paul Engel,founder of The Constitution Study, sums up this attitude.
“The last thing we need is more government interference,” Engel told Lifewire via email.
Flex Point Security / Unsplash
In the end, most consumer protections come from government regulation.
“That includes remote and automatic firmware and software updates, identity management, and encryption.”
Without better security, things are going to get worse.
Protect Yourself
The easiest way to avoid IoT breaches is to not install any smart home devices.
First, consider devices that dont use the internet.
“Consumers should practice good cyber hygiene with their IoT devices,” says Tyrrell.
“Where possible, change default usernames and passwords.
Only connect necessary devices to the internet.
Understand that it is your job as the equipment owner to update patches, and do so regularly.
