Home Device Vulnerabilities

Summary

Researchers from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Communication (FKIE) discovered multiple vulnerabilities in home routers. The devices were not updated within the last year and passwords used were simple or hard-coded. In addition, researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and the Chinese Academy of Science discovered that internet-capable home security cameras could be monitored by attackers to predict future activity in the home, without inspecting the video content itself. Vulnerable home routers, combined with vulnerable or compromised home security cameras and other IoT devices, increase the risk of criminal activity and cyber-attacks. This could have further implications when devices connected to the home network are subsequently connected to a corporate network.

Recommendations

The NJCCIC recommends users secure and update devices, safeguard data, and review the NJCCIC Cybersecurity 101: Best Practices webpage and guide to Configuring & Securing a Home Wi-Fi Router. Additional technical details can be found in the FKIE Home Router Security Report 2020 and the QMUL research paper.