Smart devices are often criticized for their inbuilt insecurity – and their users not changing the default passwords. But Hamidreza says the issue is more than lazy device users. “Common users have no knowledge of these protocols and they are not even aware that their devices might be accessible by hackers. We can’t expect users to log into a terminal and change the configuration of the protocols they have not even heard of.” Much of the blame rests on the device manufacturers and developers.
The problem with many smart devices is that they were just not designed with security in mind. Vulnerabilities and hacking of these connected devices has resulted in everything from people getting notices to subscribe to PewDiePie or, more seriously, the Mirai botnet and the world’s largest DDoS knocking parts of the internet offline. Industry agreements on smart device standards are only now getting past the planning stages, leaving millions of insecure devices online.
Those with smart devices have three basic security options: