With the popularity of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, smart home products such as smart locks, robotic vacuum cleaners, and smart whole-house temperature control systems are becoming increasingly common.
It is important to note that if sensitive data from smart home products is exploited by malicious individuals, it could lead to information leaks and pose a threat to national security.
Recently, the Ministry of National Security disclosed some smart home devices that may be vulnerable to intrusion—
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Silent Listeners
If smart speaker devices are maliciously implanted with trojan programs by ill-intentioned individuals or organizations, they may bypass usage authorization and regulatory requirements, recording user voice in an inactive state and uploading illegally collected user data to cloud storage.
Criminals may remotely control these devices to continuously record users’ daily conversations, infringing on personal privacy and turning home smart speakers into “silent listeners.”
If such smart speaker devices are placed in sensitive locations and controlled by foreign espionage agencies, they could potentially leak state secrets without detection.
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Covert Observers
If smart cameras lack adequate technical safeguards in areas such as cloud video encryption, user identity verification, and password settings, they may be compromised by criminals using technical means to gain control over the cameras, leading to the leakage of user information or video content, and even real-time surveillance without the user’s knowledge.
If video collection devices installed in sensitive locations have security vulnerabilities and are connected to the internet, it could result in a risk of information leakage.
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Invisible Intruders
Smart locks can be controlled via passwords, biometric recognition, or mobile apps. However, some low-quality smart locks have design flaws that allow attackers to easily crack them open in seconds using simple tools.
If such smart lock devices are used to protect sensitive locations, once criminals crack them through network attacks or physical means, they could gain unrestricted access to sensitive areas, posing a threat to national security.
Be Cautious with These Smart Home Products
As the number of connected devices in homes increases, the ways in which hackers can invade also become more unpredictable.
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Light Bulbs Infecting Your Whole Family
In 2020, researchers successfully hacked a smart light bulb, allowing them to remotely adjust its color and brightness, turning your cozy home into a dazzling dance floor.
This was just the first step.
When you notice the light bulb acting erratically, you would likely try to reset it, but by reconnecting it to the network, the bulb has already been infected with a “virus” and starts transmitting large amounts of data to the bridge, triggering a buffer overflow and installing malware.
It turns out this bulb became the hacker’s magic lamp!
Fortunately, this was just a test, and the manufacturer later patched the vulnerabilities. However, it highlights a problem: some imperfect smart devices have vulnerabilities that can easily become entry points for infiltrating home networks—yet these small connected appliances are often the ones we pay the least attention to.
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Even Children’s Toys Are Not Safe
Smart toys can also leak secrets. One teddy bear can be used as a phone, allowing children to connect with distant parents through voice communication, and couples in long-distance relationships can also use it.
The idea is romantic, but the company that designed this toy overlooked data security issues, storing user information and voice data in a database without firewall protection. As a result, in 2017, this database was hacked, and over 2 million recordings were leaked online.
Safety Tips for Using Smart Devices
The Ministry of National Security reminds us: in the era of the Internet of Everything, while enjoying the convenience that smart homes bring to our work and life, we must also enhance our awareness of prevention:
1. Choose compliant devices. Opt for reputable brands and prioritize products that have passed national security certifications (such as the CCC mark) or meet international safety standards.
2. Properly set privacy permissions. Set strong passwords with high confidentiality for smart home devices, and disable unnecessary permissions for collecting and sharing personal information as well as remote control features.
In addition, Song Yuhao, co-founder of the well-known domestic white hat company KEEN and a security expert at GeekPwn Lab, also provided safety advice for personal use of smart devices:
1. Regularly update operating systems and app software, as manufacturers will fix known security flaws in new versions of systems and app software.
2. Download apps from legitimate channels, as problematic download channels can easily implant malicious code into your phone.
3. Use trusted Wi-Fi networks or mobile data networks, and avoid using untrusted public Wi-Fi to prevent personal information from being maliciously intercepted and to avoid web pages being hijacked or tampered with.
4. Avoid using simple passwords, and do not use the same password across different platforms. Password management software can help you use complex and unique passwords.
5. Do not open unknown web pages, including not clicking on unknown links in messages or chat software, and not scanning unknown QR codes.
6. Install and use security tools (such as antivirus software) to help identify threats such as mobile malware, phishing links, and scam calls.
Source: Shanghai Internet Rumor Refutation
Editor: Shen Qianhui
