In 2022, Kaspersky’s honeypots – software that imitates a vulnerable device – detected more than 990 million global smart device attacks.

These includes items from the home, and others such as smartwatches, door locks, fitness trackers, and many others.

Earlier this year, the scary case of a baby in Scotland made headlines after a baby monitor was hacked, with the perpetrator using the device to scare the child at night.

Another case was Airbnb guests discovering they were being secretly filmed following a smart device attack on an apartment in Cork, Ireland.

Stories of strangers taking control of networked devices and their associated data are frequent, whether it’s smart speakers or video surveillance cameras.

According to IoT market analysts, around 127 new devices are connected to the internet every second. However, it is concerning how often security and privacy concerns often take a back seat to ease of use.

Projects like that of Swiss photographer Kurt Caviezel show that data from networked devices are often (too) easily accessible. The artist collected around 100,000 links to publicly available cameras by online searches – including images of the subjects captured by them, including such of private web and PC cameras.

Smart Device Attacks

IoT devices are often the target of brute force attacks. Using specialised search engines, cybercriminals select devices with available connection protocols and automatically force common usernames and passwords.

More detailed research always brings up a baby monitor or camera whose providers have set an easy-to-hack password.

The number of attacks is especially telling when considering that smart devices are mostly connected to the same network – regardless of whether it is private or for business. This means that the vulnerability of one device can affect the entire network.

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As a result, cybercriminals can not only manipulate the functions of the corresponding devices, but also access other stored information, including phones and computers connected to that network. This could potentially affect business related communications at home office, too, and end up becoming a serious security risk for companies.

To prevent your own devices from being possessed and controlled by unsolicited guests, Kaspersky offers home smart device users some recommendations.

• Don’t need that function? Switch it off – If you don’t need a particular function, or don’t plan to use it, disable it to reduce your attack surface.

• Use complex passwords – Before using the device, change the default password and assign a new one. When doing so, use long, complex, and unique passwords for all your devices.

• Disable remote management – Modern routers often have a feature that allows you to change settings over the internet. This can be very useful in certain circumstances, but it also poses a security risk.

• Keep your firmware up-to-date – Install the latest firmware updates on devices regularly, as this will fix vulnerabilities discovered since the previous update with appropriate patches.

• Connection filters are your friend – Products installed on a router by a telecom operator can monitor all connection attempts and filter out any that could be harmful for the router or connected devices preventing hackers from taking control of home IoT devices and informs users about potential vulnerabilities.

David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky, said: “From smartwatches to smart home accessories, IoT devices are an essential part of our everyday lives, so cybercriminals have naturally switched their attention to this area.

“Some people believe they aren’t important enough to be hacked but information is a valuable resource.

“We saw that as soon as users’ interest in smart devices rose, attacks also intensified. Most attacks are preventable, and this is why we advise users of smart devices to install a reliable security solution, which will help them stay safe.”

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