Consumers who are considering purchasing internet-enabled appliances, such as refrigerators and televisions, must be aware that they may be opening themselves to hackers who are out there to steal their personal information including credit card numbers and bank account details, a senior police officer has warned.
Mike Barton, the Chief Constable of Durham Police, and the national lead on crime operations, said: “It’s not just that they [cyber-criminals] are going to get into your fridge and find out how many
yoghurts you eat a week. The fact is that your ‘internet of things’ are all plugged into the same network and that provides the criminal with a back door into your network.
“The more you connect up your devices, the more you give people the opportunity to invade and the more there is a very real challenge to your security.”
Hacking Smart Homes
Mr Barton is urging the government to put pressure on the technology industry to ensure that WiFi-connected devices are secure.
He said: “Whenever you go into a store now you see fridges with AAA down to F ratings in terms of its energy efficiency, where are the security ratings? We just don’t know what the
security is like on the devices we are buying on the ‘internet of things’, yet that is the most significant component of what you are buying. Why if it is digitally enabled are we not assessing the device on its internet security?”
“I think it is incumbent on the industry that has the money. They have eye-watering profits. Why don’t they lead the way?”