What can happen to us if our devices aren’t secure?

Having unsecure smart tech can leave us vulnerable to big problems. Let’s look at three.

Hacking

Hacking is where someone takes control of an app, a device, or even a network of devices (like all the smart tech in your home). If our accounts are hacked, then hackers can do all sorts of really bad things. ​

They can lock our files, and demand money to unlock them. They can download malware onto our devices, stopping them from working, or infecting other devices. They can use our devices or accounts to launch phishing attacks on other people – we’re more likely to open an email from someone we know, so if our device is hacked then it might mean our friends or families are more likely to be hacked too. Hackers can also take remote control of our devices, looking through everything that is on them. They can also turn on cameras, microphones, and all sorts of other things. This means that hackers can listen to our phone calls, record us doing things, and even spy on us through cameras. In fact, some tech, like smart hoovers, build a map of your house, and have cameras on. Do you want hackers to be able to a) control your hoover, b) see a map of your house, and c) turn the cameras on? In fact, there was an embarrassing incident in 2018 where a map was created of a secret military base. How was this done? One of the soldiers there would go for a run each morning, wearing his smart watch. This wasn’t properly secured, so after a little while a really detailed map of this secret base was built, and available online to anyone. ​

Snooping

Snooping involves hackers watching what we’re doing on our devices. They can do this as we’re doing this, so they see what we can see. But they can use this to steal passwords, bank details, and other really important stuff. Snooping allows hackers to steal your details. We really don’t want this, as hackers can use these details to steal our identity, or just steal our things, like our money. ​

Man in the middle attacks

Our devices talk to each other all the time, and they devices trust each other. A man in the middle attack is where a hacker slots themselves in between devices, and manipulates what each device is saying to the other. It’s a bit like Chinese whispers, but the person in the middle is lying about what the other two are saying. For example, your front door lock could be telling your phone that the front door is open, but the hacker changes this to say that your front door is locked. Or your phone’s microphone might be telling your phone that it is on, and recording what it’s hearing, but your phone is telling you the microphone is off. ​