What you’ll learn (TL;DR)
- Smart home devices can be vulnerable to malware, risking data theft, device hijacking, and security breaches.
- Malware in smart homes can impact real estate transactions, compromising financial details and remote access.
- Simple steps like changing passwords, updating firmware, and managing Wi-Fi access can help.
Protect Your Smart Devices from Cyber Risks
Your home is your sanctuary, but in today’s digital age, it also serves as a hub for technology. Smart home devices like voice-controlled assistants, thermostats, and cameras offer convenience but also can open the door to potential security risks. Hackers can target these devices with malware to steal personal data, disrupt your routine, or gain unauthorized access to your home.
In this article, we will discuss how malware can potentially exploit vulnerabilities in smart home devices and pose risks to real estate transactions.
Security Risks for Homeowners
Smart home devices rely on internet connections to work, often communicating through your Wi-Fi network or cloud services. While convenient, this connectivity can open the door to security risks, giving malware a chance to take advantage of weak spots in the system. Here's how these vulnerabilities can be exploited:
- Hijacking smart devices: Just like smartphones, smart home devices can fall victim to malware. Once hacked, they could expose details about your daily routines, creating serious security risks. For example, if someone takes control of a smart camera, they could secretly watch your home without you even knowing!
- Data harvesting: Smart home devices, like your thermostat, collect information about your daily routines—when you're home, your preferred temperatures, and when you're likely away. While this makes life more convenient, it also comes with risks. If hackers infect these devices with malware, they could steal this sensitive data or, worse, use it to target your home when you're not there.
- Accessing other devices in your home: If cybercriminals take over one smart home device, like a smart fridge or thermostat, they can use it to break into other devices connected to your network. This means your personal computers, smartphones, and other sensitive systems could also be at risk, all because of a single vulnerable device.
- Ransomware and device locking: In more severe cases, malware can lock or take control of smart devices, demanding a ransom to restore access. Imagine if an attacker locked your smart locks or disabled your security cameras—this could pose a serious security risk, leaving your home vulnerable to theft.
Security Risks for Real Estate Transactions
In addition to the direct threats to your home’s security, there are additional risks that malware in smart home devices could pose to homeowners or prospective buyers, particularly when dealing with real estate transactions:
- Compromising smart home setup in new homes: When buying a home with existing smart devices, you might inherit hidden risks like malware from the previous owner. This could affect devices like smart locks or security systems, making you vulnerable to remote hacking. To stay safe, make sure any inherited devices are factory reset and secured with strong, unique passwords before you use them.
- Interception of communication and financial transactions: Many homebuyers and sellers communicate and make financial transactions through email or messaging apps. If malware is present on a homeowner’s or homebuyer’s smart devices, it could intercept sensitive communications about real estate deals, escrow accounts, or wire transfers.
- Hijacking virtual tours or remote showings: With the rise of virtual home tours, some real estate agents or buyers rely on smart home devices like cameras, doorbells, and even smart locks to facilitate remote tours or access. If these devices are infected with malware, hackers might interrupt or hijack the tour, giving them unauthorized access to private areas of the house or valuable personal information.
How To Help Secure Your Smart Devices
Change default passwords: Many smart home devices come with default passwords that are easy for cybercriminals to guess. Change the passwords for all connected devices to
strong, unique ones and consider using a password manager to keep track of these credentials.
Set up a guest network: Many Wi-Fi routers come with a Guest network feature, which lets visitors or devices connect to the internet while keeping your main network secure. This is a simple way to increase your home’s security. By connecting your smart devices (like smart speakers or security cameras) to the Guest network instead of your primary Wi-Fi, you create a safety buffer. If a smart device becomes compromised in a cyberattack, it will not have access to your personal devices or sensitive data. The steps to turn on the Guest network can vary depending on your router, so check the manual or the manufacturer’s website for details.
Regular firmware updates: Update your smart devices regularly, or enroll in automatic updates, to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Disable unused features: Smart devices often come with a variety of features, many of which you may never use. The more features you have active, the more potential entry points cybercriminals can exploit. For example, a smart refrigerator may offer features like remote access, allowing you to control it from your smartphone. While this could be convenient, it is also a feature you might never use. Disabling any unnecessary services, like remote access, location services, or voice commands, can help to reduce the number of potential opportunities cybercriminals have to exploit your devices.
Disconnect unused devices: If you're ready to part ways with a smart home device, the best first step is to do a factory reset. Most devices allow you to do this through their mobile app, but if you're not sure how, just check the device's manual for detailed instructions. This will erase your personal information from the device—including saved passwords, linked accounts, or Wi-Fi credentials—and return the device to the state it was in when you first bought it. Even when not in use, a device may still be vulnerable to hacking attempts, especially if it is not receiving security updates. A factory reset will disconnect the device from your home network and, if you plan to sell, donate, or dispose of the device, help give you the confidence that your personal information is no longer saved to the device.
If you suspect that one of your devices may have been compromised, a factory reset can remove any potential malware or unauthorized access points that could have been installed on the device.
What to keep in mind
- Factory reset effects: Resetting erases all the data from your smart device, and you’ll need to set it up again from scratch.
- Temporarily disconnecting devices: Changing your Wi-Fi password is an easy way to disconnect unused devices without resetting them. Once the password is updated, reconnect only the devices you actively use.
Manage Shared Wi-Fi Access
If you’ve ever shared your Wi-Fi password with friends or family visiting your home, it’s a good idea to update it once they leave. This isn’t about mistrust; it’s about security. Since you don’t control their device or know how secure it is, changing your password prevents anyone from using it as a potential entry point to your home network if their device gets compromised later.
Better yet, consider using your router’s Guest network feature. This lets you set up a separate Wi-Fi network just for visitors, keeping your main network extra secure.
According to Mortgage Cadence, 60% of Americans say that smart home devices have positively impacted their lives, with smart security systems and cameras being the most popular. However, these same devices are the ones Americans fear being hacked the most, highlighting how convenience and security are both important considerations in a smart home.
By taking simple precautions—like securing devices with strong passwords, updating firmware, and securing Wi-Fi networks—you can help reduce the risk of malware compromising your smart home setup and help secure your personal and financial information.
