The US government just admitted it will use smart home devices for spying

[FlyingPenguin]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... government

“In the future, intelligence services might use the [internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials,” Clapper told a Senate panel as part of his annual “assessment of threats” against the US.

[Losbot]

Why not? Those shifty little bastards!

[EvilHorace]

Well, I have a bunch of these devices and they're all on my side of the firewall, PW required SO just how easy is it for someone to bypass that and get in?
and then, manpower......it's not as if the government has people with nothing better to do than spy on everyone. Why would they waste the time? What would they have to gain? So at my house, if they hacked in, they could read my t-stat temp setting, see my nest vids looking outwards from the front door, know if my front doors locked, garage door's locked.....big deal?
I have a camera that goes online but it's rarely used as I really don't need it for security here.

I could see that if it was a known criminal with camera's, etc and they were able to hack in but that's about it. I doubt that your average citizen has anything to worry about.

[FlyingPenguin]

Evil, some of these devices are so insecure it's trivial to get in. They are designed to phone home in some way - that's how they provide the functionality they have. If that phone home connection can be spoofed due to poor security practices, then they can be made into network hacking devices.

Most of these devices run Linux and if the root is not secure, then anyone can just replace the software in them with something malicious that can try to hack into any PCs behind your router, or be setup to be a man in the middle and intercept all your network traffic.

As I mentioned in another post, if you are going to use these things, and unless you've taken the time to research the manufacturer to see if they've done a good job of security, the safest thing to do is keep all your IoT devices on a separate isolated network.

I won't have any of these things in my house. This IoT crap is going to bite us all in the arse.

I'm not just concerned about the NSA. If they can hack these things, so can Russian hackers.

[wvjohn]

I'm guessing the big dogs will just grab all your internet traffic at a central location and run it through their Mk 3 security program and take what they want, just like now. I can see amateur hour with people turning off dryers and fridges, etc. Like that search engine for unsecure webcams. I remember fooling with that when the whole google hacking thing came out. A while back I met someone who did IT for a fortune 500 outfit. They said they got hit the same week every year. The said the consensus was that they were the "class project" for a penetration class somewhere over the water.

[Losbot]

That's why my WiFi for my Nest is on a separate network. I don't fully trust them, which is why I only have the Nest.

[wvjohn]

http://www.techarp.com/articles/samsung ... -revealed/

Earlier this month, we attended the Samsung Forum 2016, where we saw the latest and greatest Samsung kitchen appliances – all slated for sale this year. Their proudest example of culinary technology this year is the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator.
Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator Revealed

As the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator is not slated for launch until Q2 2016 (Spring 2016 in the US), this is a sneak preview. Check out the video we took of a working example during the recent Samsung Forum 2016!
Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator Quick Look

The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator is designed to be the centrepiece or hub of your kitchen. It is not just a refrigerator, it is part of the Internet. It is what we call an Internet of Things (IoT) device. All of its IoT (Internet of Things) capabilities are hidden behind the 21.5″ full HD LCD display on its upper right door.

The 21.5″ display is where the magic takes place. It allows you to manage your groceries, pin photos, leave notes as well as post, share and update your family’s activity calendar. This is where your family can coordinate your lives around.

>>>>>>It even comes with three built-in cameras that captures a picture every time you close the door. Using a smartphone, you can remotely access those pictures to determine what you currently have in the Family Hub Refrigerator. This is very useful if you’re at the store and can’t remember if you have enough eggs. Just launch the Samsung Smart Home app and have a look!

?????With the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, you don’t even have to leave home to shop for groceries. You can even place an order with an online grocery shopping partner and pay for it with a Samsung credit card partner using the built-in display. How’s that for convenience?

Of course, if you still prefer to shop at your grocery store, you can use the built-in shopping list feature to manage your groceries. Heck, you can even store your recipes right there!
Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator Availability

The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator is slated to be available in the United States in the spring of 2016. Global availability will vary from country to country, but look out for it in Q2 2016 onwards. In the US, it will be available in two sizes – Counter Depth and Full Depth, with two colour options – Stainless and Black Stainless