Data theft, identity theft or fraudulent purchases, top cyber threats from IoT devices in the home

Some of the most common IoT devices include smart watches; sneakers that track distance, steps, and calories burned; applications that raise or lower blinds or adjust lights at home; smart ovens that can be turned on from a cell phone; collars that monitor pets' sleep or signs of illness; or automatic lawn mowers that perform maintenance automatically, among others.

The problem with these connected things is that, like all technology, they can be hacked. When that happens, you hand over a lot of personal information to cybercriminals. The most basic is real-time reporting of whether we are home or not, because if they use geolocation like smartwatches, they can know when we are away and break in.

There are numerous reports that 2024 will be characterized by cyber risks and cyber threats to these types of devices. Therefore, from a cybersecurity awareness perspective, it is important to remind all users of the need to properly secure them.

The most common cyber dangers of IoT include theft of personal data, knowledge of household habits, access to geolocation of family members, fraudulent purchases, physical theft, identity theft, introduction of malware, and trading of images or personal data on black markets.

Recommendations for cyber protection of IoT devices

S2 Grupo's team of experts has explained that some basic recommendations to protect ourselves from cybercriminals when using IoT devices are:

1. Set up a separate network for these devices >> There are smart routers that create virtual networks so that if a computer is infected, it cannot access the IoT devices and vice versa.
2. Set strong, unique passwords for each device. Change them regularly.
3. Disable the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol >> this prevents devices from easily finding each other.
4. Install the latest updates when they are available >> they usually include new security patches.
5. If you need a mobile application, always download it from official markets.
6. Check the device's security settings and always prioritize them over other features.
7. Turn them off when not in use.
8. Provide cybersecurity training and awareness to users of IoT devices.

Six cyber dangers of a smartwatch

From S2 Grupo, on the occasion of Safer Internet Day and emphasizing that the cybersecurity problem associated with IoT devices can put at risk the security of homes, has explained as an example the cybersecurity problems associated with a smartwatch:

1. Smartwatches, like other IoT devices, face a common problem due to the lack of specific cybersecurity standards for these devices.
2. They collect a lot of personal information about us: from our GPS location to notifications from applications we've connected them to, biometric or health data, exercise data, payments, and so on. So hacking these devices can allow attackers to get their hands on this kind of information.
3. Smartwatches can be hacked: their design has many vulnerabilities; their connectivity can be hijacked, even for NFC payments; and the user themselves can weaken their security by simply using weak passwords or not updating the system.
4. Some do not allow antivirus software to be installed.
5. Do not use two-factor authentication >> Some smartwatches are already introducing two-factor authentication for payments, but there are still many designs that do not include it, making them more vulnerable.
6. Automatic pairing with other available devices >> It is very important to disable this feature so that it only connects to devices that seem appropriate, and to avoid unexpected connections to public or insecure Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.