As many of us are now aware, everything present in our house is becoming more and more ‘smart’ technology. From TV’s to ovens and even vacuum cleaners but, what happens if these devices could be hacked? – Cause the reality of hackers, is that they simply hack a system not for any incentive other than the sheer thrill of doing so.

With the internet now playing an important part of our lives, it has brought us many advantages to us however it also runs the risk of us being exposed. One example is the Smart Grid – benefits of using this technology are clear however, how safe are they?

If a system is open, it leaves it vulnerable to attack i.e. being hacked. For Example, All smart meters use wireless technology to transmit the data, which could be easily intercepted, gathered and resent – resulting in expensive bills or loss of revenue. The way to helping prevent this from occurring is through the use of encryption – although it’s not a guaranteed safeguard it will help.

On the first Insteon Hub, data was being passed to the control device unencrypted without any authentication and back again  - meaning anyone performing a simple scan on the network would detect the device and could control them. This would have meant that a burglar could have came, hacked into the system interface and disable alarms, security cameras, unlock doors – even allow the hacker to spy on the inhabitant.

The thing that we have to be made aware of is Security within our home – although all these things are beneficial to us they run the risk of being hacked which could end up giving our lives hell. Today, we simply update firmware on our appliance however tomorrow, things could be different. however balance between security and convenience will be as important as ever – We want our homes to remain a place of relaxation!