Your fancy new smart lightbulb that changes color in response to a command to Google Assistant or Alexa could be vulnerable to attack.
Amazon‘s list of smart light offering includes Wyze, Tecktin, Berrennis, among others. However, the most used smart light brand may be Philips Hue.
Following several reports of digital products being easily hacked, a team of security researchers from Check Point decided to hack the most popular smart light brand, Hue. And they succeeded.
After hacking into a home’s network, the researchers contacted the lightbulb maker to share their findings. Expectedly, Philips fixed the issue immediately.
In a statement to the press, Head of Technology at Philips Hue, George Yianni said:
“We are thankful for responsible disclosure and collaboration from Check Point. It has allowed us to develop and deploy the necessary patches to avoid any consumers being put at risk.”
The company also expressed its commitment towards protecting user’s privacy and ensuring the safety of its product.
While Philips Hue took prompt action, other less famous brands may not be as lucky.
Vulnerabilities in Smart Lightbulb As A Whole
According to the head of cyber research at Checkpoint, Yaniv Balmas, the same protocol flaw found in Hue bulbs is also present in other popular devices.
These include the Amazon Echo speakers, Belkin‘s WEMO, among others. That means a hacker could gain entry into a home or office network through your smart device and spread malware.
“We chose Philips because it has the biggest market share,” says Balmas.
“But if we found this in Philips, think about the vulnerabilities in other devices. Think of other bulbs and how many are made in China, with lower manufacturing costs. Would they be a much easier target to find vulnerabilities?”
So, how can you protect yourself from attacks?
Balmer suggests updating your software regularly. Also, look out for unusual behavior of devices and separate an affected electronic from the others in the network of your router.
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