Earlier in 2018, security researcher Craig Young discovered that the Google Home smart speaker and Chromecast media streaming device would give away their precise location to whoever asked, via a malicious link.

Young found that, if the link was opened by the intended target, the precise location of any Google Home or Chromecast on the same Wi-Fi network would be revealed to the sender of the link. This meant the sender could discover the target's exact street address, leading to the potential for robbery, or more location-based hacking.

Knowing the target's exact address could make phishing and extortion attacks appear more realistic, cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs said at the time. Thankfully, a software update was released by Google this summer, which again shows how it is important to keep your devices up-to-date.

Young suggested this kind of attack can be prevented, or at least mitigated against, by connecting your smart home and IoT devices to a different Wi-Fi network to that used by your laptop.