Security Vulnerabilities Of Iot Devices In Smart Homes
The rising adoption of interconnected internet-enabled devices in smart homes is creating new attack surfaces that threaten the security, privacy, and safety of homeowners. According to industry analysis, the global market for smart home devices including connected security cameras, smart thermostats, voice assistants, and smart appliances is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 15.3% from 2022-2030. However, serious security vulnerabilities have been discovered in many Internet of Things (IoT) consumer products that malicious hackers can exploit to gain access, extract user data, or use the compromised devices in cyber attacks.
Internet-connected smart TVs, wireless cameras, door locks, sensors, and speakers are making homes more convenient, comfortable, and seemingly secure. But networking effects can produce cascading privacy breaches and vehicle for cyber attacks if these IoT devices are not properly secured by manufacturers. Unfortunately, security has remained an afterthought in the rush to be first-to-market. Flaws at the hardware, firmware, and software level leave millions of homes open to intrusion and domestic cyber threats from compromised IoT devices on home WiFi networks.
Common Exploits Targeting IoT Communication Protocols
One survey of smart home devices found an average of 25 vulnerabilities per device, including unencrypted data flows, insecure network services, and weak credential storage. Hackers commonly target communication channels and protocols like Bluetooth, ZigBee, and 6LoWPAN that connect IoT devices to extract data and access controls.
Bluetooth implementations in smart door locks, cameras, and medical devices often lack encryption or authentication, enabling attackers to intercept pairing codes and gain unauthorized access. Hard coded passwords in IoT devices routinely go unchanged by consumers, allowing easy access by hackers. Insecure cloud APIs and mobile application interfaces can also serve as attack vectors to breach smart homes and access data. Once IoT devices are compromised through these common entry points, hackers can then access other connected devices on home networks, including computers and smartphones which contain sensitive personal information for identity theft or extortion.
Insecure Data Transmission
Smart home devices like WiFi cameras, smart assistants, and wireless routers continuously transmit audio, video, and usage telemetry data to vendor cloud platforms for analysis. However, investigation has shown many IoT vendors transmitting this data unencrypted over the internet. Without transport encryption mechanisms like Secure Socket Layer (SSL), data flows can be intercepted through man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks on home WiFi networks or ISPs. Sensitive personal conversations and behaviors inside the home can then be accessed or archived.
Hardcoded Credentials
Hard coding default login credentials is a common shortcut taken by IoT manufacturers trying to simplify setup and reduce support issues. However, openly published default credentials can provide easy access for attackers. A study by Fortinet examined fitness trackers, pet feeders, IP cameras, smart locks, and medical devices and discovered more than 60% contained unchangeable default passwords. Botnets designed to break into IoT devices can quickly exploit common hard coded credentials that device owners rarely change themselves.
Unauthenticated Pairing Processes
Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave and other wireless protocols used in IoT smart home devices often have pairing processes that enable new devices to join home networks without authentication. Open pairing allows installation conveniences but enables attackers within wireless range to infiltrate networks without skill or special tools. Researchers have shown how vehicle infotainment and tire sensors, fitness devices, drones, and medical gear often connect to other local devices and cloud platforms with no meaningful authentication requirements.
Weaponizing Compromised Devices Within the Smart Home
Once an internet-connected home device has been compromised, hackers can pivot through networks to access other connected systems on home networks. The persistent connectivity central to the IoT device value proposition provides constant access for attackers to infect other devices, extract data, corrupt configurations, or enslave devices into malicious botnets.
Stealing Data Across Device Silos
IoT vendors frequently argue that individual security vulnerabilities are contained within device silos and not serious threats to overall platform security. However, hackers understand how protocols like UPnP, MQTT, DNS-SD can be exploited to scan, locate, fingerprint, and query connected devices across smart homes to map security postures and pilfer data.
By breaking into an internet-connected fish tank thermometer, for example, an attacker cracked device isolation and jumped to more security-critical smart home systems controlling doors, alarms, temperatures, and lighting based on shared communication protocols and unsecured internal firewalls.
Botnets of Enslaved Devices
Malware bots like Mirai, Reaper, and Hajime have embedded themselves in cameras, residential gateways, network storage devices and other IoT devices to enslave systems into armies of robotic attack nodes. By infecting thousands of minimally secured IoT devices, attackers can launch distributed denial of service attacks against commercial websites and internet infrastructure from diffused botnet nodes that are difficult to trace.
In the most destructive attacks, hackers have compromised IoT device operating systems to rewrite firmware and brick systems. Hacking tools like BrickerBot permanently disable IoT devices by corrupting storage media device capacity and overwriting essential system files. Smart door locks, lighting controllers, and network routers have been rendered permanently inoperable in some reported cases through firmware hacks.
IoT Developers Must Prioritize Security
The market demand for constant connectivity in home and industrial environments requires designers to make security a priority long before release. Protecting device hardware components, communication channels, control interfaces, data flows, and ecosystem integrations necessitates best practices like encryption, compartmentalization, and frequent patching.
Encryption
Encrypting endpoint devices and communications channels protects the confidentiality and integrity of information exchanges to mitigate common attacks like eavesdropping, MITM tampering, and spoofing. IoT developers should implement extensible encryption protocols like TLS, DTLS, and DNSSEC across devices and cloud services.
/** * Encrypt sensor readings using hardware module before * transmitting over home WiFi network */ import encrypt from 'encryption-module'; const sensorReading = getSensorInput(); const encryptedData = encrypt(sensorReading, SECRET_KEY); transmit(encryptedData, SERVER_ENDPOINT);
Access Controls
Role based access controls, strong credential requirements, and protocol-level confirmations can improve IoT identity protections and validate authorized system uses. Bluetooth pairing, ZigBee enrollment, and remote administration should require cryptographic proofs.
Code Auditing
Static and dynamic analysis of device software can uncover logic errors, memory safety issues, poor random number generation and crypto weaknesses that undermine security assurances many layers below device hardware. Fuzzing tools evaluate information flows under adverse conditions as well.
Updatching
Installing vulnerability patches and making firmware updates accessible shows an ongoing commitment to security and maintaining consumer trust. IoT devices designed without update pathways force consumers onto endless upgrade cycles. Plan for updates.
Users Should Follow Best Practices
While IoT vendors carry the responsibility to ensure devices are secure by design, smart home owners must also adopt good cyber hygiene to protect networks of interconnected devices from compromise. Small precautions can minimize risks and prevent cascading problems.
Strong Passwords
Despite some poor device designs, users should always change default credentials when available and assign complex passwords or passphrases that are unique across devices. Never sharing passwords across IoT devices or ecosystem accounts reduces exposures from single points of compromise. Using a password manager also aids home IT administration.
Isolate IoT Devices on Separate Networks
Network segmentation of wireless cameras, door sensors, and entertainment devices away from computers, file storage platforms and mobile devices limits lateral movement for malware. Guest WiFi networks, virtual LANS (VLANs) and firewall-protected IoT subnets prevent threats from propagating across entire home networks when individual devices get hacked.
Patch and Update Devices
While frustrating, applying firmware and software updates when available closes vulnerabilities as vendor discover exploits. Left unaddressed, technical debt accrues as hackers reverse engineer flaws and share toolkits to compromise IoT device models across millions of deployments.
Monitor Behavior
Noticing unusual device connections, frequent data transfers, unexpected camera activations, and questionable remote access requests can reveal compromised systems. Online interfaces can help homeowners monitor smart home device behaviors for signs of misuse or technical issues.
The Role of Government Regulations and Guidelines
Protecting human safety and privacy connected within the nexus of the Internet of Things ultimately requires coordinated action across manufacturers and governmental bodies to enact baseline standards that keep pace with technological change.
Recent Legislation
In the United States, proposed state and national cybersecurity regulations aim to impose security requirements on IoT device vendors and limit reckless data collection. Rules proposed in the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act and similar bills would force vendors to patch vulnerabilities, disclose security standards, and confirm hardware origin.
International Alignment
As IoT devices operate across global networks, multinational alignment on protocols, data formats, software updates, and compliance reporting simplifies development and accountability. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Technical Committee on Cybersecurity is leading international standardization efforts.
Coordinated Disclosure
Coordinated disclosure between security researchers and vendors aims to ensure vulnerabilities are addressed before exploits are leaked publicly. Formal disclosure programs allow IoT vendors time to patch issues without details fueling attacks ahead of mitigation deployment. Disclosure deadlines pressure responsive action.
