Do you feel safe in your home? Your exterior is probably
pretty well defended against intruders with metal doors and deadbolts, locking
windows, and maybe an alarm system. How about intruders from within? “…The call is coming from inside the
house”, an oft repeated quote from the 1979 movie, When a Stranger Calls, can still make your skin crawl when you’re
all alone, think you heard a noise, and then the phone rings. Just the thought
of an intruder with you in your home can be terrifying. There may not be
physical intruders inside your home at this moment, but someone may be
listening or quite possibly watching.
Internet of things
Kevin Ashton of Procter & Gamble first coined “Internet
of things” in 1999. It is defined as network of devices, appliances, vehicles,
etc. that connect and exchange data through the Internet. It is estimated the
Internet of things will be populated with 30 billion devices by 2020.
Technology has always invaded our homes as we excitedly open
the boxes to the latest modern conveniences. In the early days of the 1900’s
telephones began appearing in homes. The 1950’s saw televisions showing up in
living rooms. People started bringing home desktop computers in the 1980’s.
Those computers were connected to the Internet in the 1990’s. Phones went on our belts and into our
pockets in the 2000’s and then became handheld computers. The first Internet
connected appliance was a LG refrigerator released in 2000. According to Statista.com,
there were nearly 36 million smart home devices sold in the U.S. in 2017. Over
40 million smart TV’s were sold in the U.S. in 2016 and 244 million worldwide.
Privacy
The remote accessibility of household devices creates new
security issues everyday. As appliances get “smarter” their vulnerability also
increases. Smart devices only work to their full capability if they are
connected to the Internet. Once that occurs they are searchable and hackable. When
the device reaches out to the web it declares itself open for business. Hackers
are always looking for unsecure networks and devices to exploit. If not for
gain then just because then can.
We first heard about these types of intrusions in 2015 two
years after consumers starting bringing home smart TV’s. Samsung released TV’s in 2013 that could
listen to voice commands from their owners. The problem? The TV has to be
listening all the time to pick up the commands. What was “heard” was being transmitted
via the Internet. Samsung warned consumers, through privacy policies, that
spoken words are being captured and transmitted through the voice recognition
system. Consumers were further warned not to hold personal conversations in
front of the television. But who read or reads the privacy policies, right?
Another popular device entering our homes are web accessible
cameras. We set these up to watch the nanny, housekeeper, or house in general.
There are even petcams available that not only allow owners to watch their pets
but speak to them and deliver treats remotely. The first cameras imbedded in
teddy bears, sold as a “nanny cams”, began appearing on the market in 1992. The
first cameras to transmit remotely via IP were sold by Axis Communications in
1996. Today, the market is flooded with cameras and phone apps that allow web
transmission of live video. It’s fun to watch Mr. Snugglekins romp around the
house. But if you can access your webcam remotely, so can someone else.
Hacking
The device most people have heard stories about and are
aware is the camera on your computer. Yes, they can be used against you. Unlike
the movies, your home computer usually has to be “infected” with malware that
you allowed in my clicking on a link or visiting a sketchy website. As with all
of your devices, locally, you have to let someone in for them to be monitored.
Not to say that you and your devices could not be specifically targeted and
intruded. With the effort it could be done. Hackers and, yes, governments
have the capability to access the television microphones, computer and remote
cameras, turning them on and off and recording at will. However, most likely
you’ve been the victim of malware.
The privacy and security issue with smart appliances is the
collection and transmission of data. First, your viewing habits, conversations,
actions are being collected. Second, the data is being transmitted to the
Internet and held on third party servers. All of which can be hacked. So no
matter the security measures you take at home, your personal data is vulnerable
once it hits the WWW.
The thing is, you allow them into your home with the
purchase, unpacking, and setup to connect to your network. Data transmissions you
are unaware of because you have most likely allowed the device to set itself up
per the manufacturer’s settings. Any warning or setup recommendations were
clicked through and unread. Admit it. You’ve done it. Who reads the privacy
settings on a new device? Or whenever you allow an update? That’s what the
manufacturers are counting on. The key word in the previous paragraph is
“allow”. You’re inviting the snooping by purchasing the device, bringing it
into your home, and allowing self setup.
Your appliances aren’t the only ones listening. There’s been
conspiracies floated the last couple of years that Facebook is listening to
your conversations to better target ads. While feasible it is unlikely and has
been debunked by several sources. Facebook may not be overhearing conversations
but they, as is Google, “listening” by recording your search habits and even
communications in messaging and emails apps to better address advertising.
Netflix was recently caught by tweeting about the number of times a few viewers
had watched one of its programs, trying to be funny. Netflix admitted that it
did track viewing habits of subscribers.
Security
When you invite smart appliances into your home you give up
your privacy. You have to consider these devices as other persons and guard
your privacy accordingly. Take the time to read the manufacturer privacy
policies. Read the manual setup instructions and adjust the device settings
accordingly. Block cameras in sensitive areas or turn them towards the wall
when you’re home.
This reads like an Orwellian or tinfoil hat conspiracy. It
wasn’t meant to be or to keep you from enjoying the conveniences of technology.
Just be aware of the surroundings you’ve created. Any smart device has to be
considered to be listening or watching. Alexa, Siri, Google, they all have to
be listening all the time to be able to pick up your commands.
Please feel free to share. Read other posts about security
in the blog archive.
No comments:
Post a Comment