Was anyone really surprised that the so-called “dodgy box” has turned out to be a bit dodgier than people bargained for? It is one thing to use the technology to get some cut-price subscription TV; it is another to open the door to hackers, viruses and other security threats.
The report from Grant Thornton said unsecured media boxes were at risk of being hijacked to facilitate large cyberattacks, creating an army of zombie devices that can bombard networks with traffic to take them down.
But it is not fair to blame just the dodgy box for the security threats. Smart devices across the board could provide hackers with a way inside your home network, with unpatched, cheap internet-connected devices providing hackers with a way in. That bargain unbranded wifi light bulb or smart plug suddenly doesn’t feel like such a good deal.
The warning from Grant Thornton was issued in the wake of one of the biggest distributed denial of service attacks ever recorded, through a botnet known as Kimwolf, that was predominantly made up of compromised Android-enabled televisions and TV streaming devices. The attack itself took about 34 seconds, and the majority of the owners of those compromised devices may never even have known they were part of it.
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That your devices could be controlled in a co-ordinated attack is worrying enough. More concerning for householders though is the potential that their devices could be used to spy on them. The unsecured devices can be a way into your home network, and your private data, allowing hackers to build a profile of you and your household that could potentially be used against you.
Homes may be smart, but homeowners need to make sure they are smarter, following basic security advice, changing default passwords and keeping up to date with software patches to make sure they are keeping out the hackers.
Sometimes what seems like a bargain may turn out to be a false economy, especially if it costs you your private data in the long run.
