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Smart appliances and their vulnerability to cyber attacks

Before, cyberattacks focused mainly on computers, but in recent years the number of cases on smartphones, tablets and now household appliances has increased. In this case, robot vacuum cleaners could be the focus of attack due to the large amount of data they collect for their operation.

 

Hackers and cyber attacks

The term “hacker” defines an enthusiastic programmer, with a high degree of knowledge about his area, as well as a broad command of various virtual tools. However, some people use these tools as “weapons” to “attack” third-party electronic gadgets to steal information.

The usefulness of obtaining information is quite varied, given that through a cyberattack on your smartphone, for example, this person or group of people could gain illegal access to your phone book, photos and personal emails, credit card data, phone numbers. bank accounts, among many other things.

As you can see, suffering a cyberattack can be really dangerous, since there are not a few cases of blackmail, identity theft and endless crimes that can be committed simply with an individual’s personal information.

Computers vulnerable to cyber attacks

It could practically be said that any device, machine, appliance, tool or electronic gadget that has an Internet connection can be the victim of a cyber attack.

The methods used by these people are often developed by themselves, which makes it difficult to know how to defend themselves. Furthermore, as mentioned, they are specialists in their area and can be found in different parts of the world, as well as use concealment and location mechanisms to their liking. This type of detail makes it very difficult to detect the origin of the attack, which is why, in most cases, virtual criminals usually get away with it.

In addition to this, identifying which computer is more vulnerable to a cyber attack is also complicated, since everything will depend on the security system you work with. In the case of computers, there are many options in antivirus, just like in smartphones and tablets.

But what about other electronic equipment that does not allow the use of safety nets? This question has begun to bother some users, since today home appliances are used that are capable of collecting a large amount of information that could be used negatively against users.

Robot vacuum cleaner, new focus of interest?

Robot vacuum cleaners are quite useful and practical appliances that can help keep your home much cleaner and with less effort. However, in order to carry out this task, the team needs certain information that many would consider private.

As you know, most of these equipments have suction, sweeping and drying systems and are capable of moving freely around your home whether you are there or not. But how does a robot vacuum know where to go? Well, through sensors. These can be optical or proximity, but whatever their type, they are designed to collect information about your residence.

This type of sensor allows the robot to create a digital map of your home and, through an internal browser, make use of this scheme to direct its movement and ensure that it does not leave any space on the floor without cleaning.

However, in recent years, more and more users are concerned about this fact, since not all robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing companies offer a privacy clause that guarantees that your data will not be shared.

This has caused a series of inquiries by both security companies and users, since, if a robot vacuum cleaner can capture audio, images and draw a map that could later be hacked, this not only violates privacy, but could put people at risk if it falls into the wrong hands.

Therefore, before deciding which robot vacuum cleaner to buy (by clicking on this link you can find some options to choose from), we strongly advise you to pay attention to the privacy policies offered by the company regarding the sharing of data and information collected. This must contain several clauses where it is firmly guaranteed that all the content captured by the equipment will not be sold or shared, without the prior consent of the buyer, but only to improve the performance of the robot vacuum cleaner.

Protect yourself from vulnerabilities

As Check Point founder Gil Shwed points out, this is a difficult, far-reaching battle that will require a lot of investment to bring about. Considering the importance and prominence that electronic gadgets have in people’s daily lives, being able to develop a system capable of protecting everyone may sound like a dream, especially if you also take into account the ability and advantages of the cybercriminal.

However, at Check Point, a global provider of security solutions, we are constantly working on the development of new protection systems for users.

This has become one of the goals of its founder, who considers that the risk of theft or sale of information obtained through home appliances such as robot vacuum cleaners, smart refrigerators or even video game consoles is quite high today.

Shwed also indicates that any equipment that is connected to the electrical network or the Internet poses a risk, since there are more than 400 metrics among which a hacker could use to access the device.

However, it should be noted that the capacity of a company, or even the State itself, to put an end to cyberattacks is limited compared to that of these groups, which may be made up of a handful of people or may also be an entire globalized criminal network.

Whatever the risk, one of the recommendations of the security expert is to verify that the company or brand from which a product is purchased has the necessary certificates and also the required guarantees regarding sharing or selling personal information.

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