Apps of 16 popular smart home devices vulnerable to cyberattack, report says

The popularity of smart home devices means people are at risk of cyber intrusions, and IoT devices can be leveraged to spy on victims.

September 28, 2021 12:33 pm | Updated 05:08 pm IST

IoT cyberattacks have doubled during the first half of 2021, compared to last year.

IoT cyberattacks have doubled during the first half of 2021, compared to last year.

Apps of Google Home, Amazon Echo and 14 other smart home devices contain “critical cryptographic flaws” that could allow hackers to intercept and modify traffic, according to a study by Florida Tech University.

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The researchers assessed 20 devices in which perpetrators tried intercepting communication between parties through credentials theft and spying. Of these, 16 failed to implement security measures, enabling dangerous attacks, the report noted.

Devices powered by Internet of Things (IoT) are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in households. But the popularity means people are at risk of cyber intrusions, and IoT devices can be leveraged to spy on victims, the report noted.

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IoT cyberattacks have doubled during the first half of 2021, compared to last year, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

The tech giants’ smart home devices have been criticised for security flaws in the past. In 2019, a U.S.-based couple witnessed a hacker tap into their Google Nest devices and talk to them through a camera. In the same year, Amazon Echo and Kindle devices were found to be vulnerable to key reinstallation attacks, which allowed hackers to view and control traffic through the device across a WiFi network.

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