Connected security devices making homes safer or putting them at risk?

NEW DELHI: With the internet of things, connected security devices are also gaining momentum, but HP in its recent study found that 100 percent of the studied devices used in home security contain significant vulnerabilities, including password security, encryption and authentication issues.

The network connectivity and access necessary for remote monitoring presents new security concerns that did not exist for the previous generation of systems that have no internet connectivity, it said.

Home security systems, such as video cameras and motion detectors, have gained popularity as they have joined the booming Internet of Things (IoT) market and have grown in convenience. Gartner forecasts that 4.9 billion connected things will be in use in 2015, up 30 percent from 2014, and will reach 25 billion by 2020.

The new HP study reveals how ill-equipped the market is from a security standpoint for the magnitude of growth expected around IoT.

HP leveraged HP Fortify on Demand to assess 10 home security IoT devices along with their cloud and mobile application components, uncovering that none of the systems required the use of a strong password and 100 percent of the systems failed to offer two-factor authentication.

The most common and easily addressable security issues reported include, insufficient authorization, insecure interfaces, privacy concerns, lack of transport encryption, among others.

“As we continue to embrace the convenience and availability of connected devices, we must understand how vulnerable they could make our homes and families,” said Jyoti Prakash, Country Director, India and SAARC countries, HP Enterprise Security Products (ESP)

“With ten of the top security systems lacking fundamental security features, consumers must be diligent about adopting simple and practical security measures when they’re available, and device manufacturers must take ownership in building security into their products to avoid exposing their customers unknowingly to serious threats,” Prakash added.