12 Internet of Things hacks, and why you need to lock down your smart home in 2019
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12 Internet of Things hacks, and why you need to lock down your smart home in 2019

The most high-profile Internet of Things hacks and vulnerabilities - and how to protect your own smart home devices

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Computers and smartphones aren't the only gadgets in our lives in danger of getting hacked. Smart home security cameras, children's toys and even our routers, the device that takes us on the internet, are all vulnerable. However, that doesn't seem to be deterring people from buying connected devices.

We like these smart speakers, robot vacuums and video doorbells so much, that the smart home market is expected to hit $53.6 billion by 2022 (up from $24.1 billion in 2016), according to insurance company Assurant.

As we bring more connected products into our home in the coming new year, it's helpful to take steps to protect smart home devices from online attackers, the best that we can. Here are some famous hacks — and what consumers can do to try and thwart these attacks.

Robot vacuum

Diqee

Smart vacuum cleaner Diqee turned out to be able to hoover more than the dust on your floor, according to security researchers who discovered the device could be remotely controlled by hackers, and the night vision camera on board turned on without someone at home knowing.

Hackers would have need physical access to the robot vacuum to get access to the camera. But remote access — moving it around at will — was obtained by entering in the default password and admin name. Changing the passwords that come with devices when you buy them is an easy first step to thwarting attacks. And if you have a lot of them, a password manager can help keep track so you're not using the same one every time.



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