A Russian IT expert said that home appliances threaten the security

In the last decade, a promising trend – the Internet of Things – has been actively developing in the world. Atypical functionality appears in many devices. Refrigerators are equipped with screens, kettles get Internet connection modules, and TVs get cameras. This is not a complete list of the symbioses that are formed in the modern world of technology, said partner and director of IQReserve Pavel Myasoedov.

According to the expert, this trend is clearly aimed at improving the quality of life, but along with it a number of cyber-threats emerge.

Devices are controlled by voice, receive our images and send all data to remote servers, where calculations take place, for example, to control the brightness of a smart light bulb or display a recipe on the refrigerator screen.

“At that time, there is a risk that the user’s information or biometric data will be intercepted in the transmission process, or the server will be attacked by hackers. From this data, an attacker can learn a lot about a person. But this is not the biggest risk that smart home appliances bring to our world,” noted Mr. Myasoedov.

Doorbells, cameras and microphones connected to the Internet allow us to monitor our actions from anywhere in the world in real-time. Switching on smart lights in different rooms will inform us about the person’s movements in the apartment, while a sensor on the door will tell us when the person has left it. In some cases, the room can even be locked from the outside, creating a serious threat to life and health.

All this can let your partner know how and with whom you spend your time, and the thief will know the most appropriate moment to break into the apartment.

“Progress in terms of protecting devices from unauthorized access, of course, does not stand still. But today the Internet of Things is lagging far behind in terms of security. Neither manufacturers nor third-party companies offer sufficiently reliable anti-viruses and protection systems. So while smart technology is still developing, you have to be careful not to rely entirely on household appliances and not to load too much information into them,” warned the expert.