Don’t spy on our babies - Brits most worried about home IoT security and smart medical equipment, research shows

• Smart locks, doors and cameras are amongst the devices causing high degrees of security concerns, according to 50% of UK respondents
• 42% feel concerned about the security of baby/pet monitors 
• Fitness trackers and wearables fall to the bottom of the charts, showing the least level of worry

According to the research, the list of worrisome gadgets in the UK included internet-connected cameras for monitoring babies/pets and their homes, with respectively 42% and 45% admitting their security was either “concerning” or “very concerning”. Those surveyed were also reportedly “very concerned” about medical equipment such as blood pressure monitors and smart doorbells, locks and/or doors (21%). 

Among the devices that Brits find least troublesome are smart home devices such as light bulbs (41%), smart plugs (42%) and heating/cooling systems (38%). The same stands for vacuum cleaners connected to the internet (36%) and white goods (24%). Surprisingly, wearables and fitness trackers showed the least level of concern, with 28% of consumers feeling worried.

The global smart home industry highlights rapid consumer growth, building expectations with market analysts, with some segments such as smart security systems and smart locks expected to more than double to $106.3 billion^[1] and $13.1 billion^[2] by 2030, respectively. 

The report also unveiled how increasing use of smart devices affects users’ attitude toward security and protection issues. The report revealed that more than 3-in-5 UK consumers (64%) who own this equipment feel responsible for its cybersecurity. Millennials aged 25-34 care most about the protection of smart devices in their home, with 59% securing the devices they own.

“As smart device adoption rates grow, it is becoming clear that significant numbers of people are paying more attention to security considerations and are trying to ensure a painless experience as they integrate gadgets into their lives. Millennials in particular are paying more attention to their home Wi-Fi security , which is a positive sign for cybersecurity. This also suggests that in future, we might see greater pressure on IoT device producers to pay more attention to cybersecurity, adopting secure-by-design practices to meet consumers’ expectations and provide them with a desired level of protection,” comments David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky.

The full report is available at this link.

To keep all smart devices, secure and protected, Kaspersky experts compiled the following tips:

• Buying second-hand smart home devices is not a safe practice. Their firmware could have been modified by previous owners to give a remote attacker full control over users’ smart home ecosystems. 
• It is also important not to forget to change the default password. Instead, use a strict and complex one and update it regularly. 
• Maintain your network secure by keeping serial numbers, IP addresses and other sensitive information private. Don’t share users’ smart devices on social networks 
• A reliable security solution would also be very helpful in securing and protecting the entire smart home ecosystem. 
• Having decided on a particular app or device, be sure to stay in the loop about updates and the discovery of vulnerabilities. Install all updates released by the developers in a timely fashion. 

Methodology: Kaspersky commissioned Arlington Research to undertake quantitative online research with 21,645 smart home device owners in 21 countries, from the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Russia, Turkey, France, Netherlands, Portugal, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Peru, South Africa, UAE and Saudi Arabia.