HP Study Finds Alarming Vulnerabilities with Internet of Things (IoT) Home Security Systems
HP, Palo Alto, released results of a security testing study revealing that owners of Internet-connected home security systems may not be the only ones monitoring their homes. The study found that 100 percent of the studied devices used in home security contain significant vulnerabilities, including password security, encryption and authentication issues.
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, Inc. 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. Manufacturers are quickly bringing to market connected security systems that deliver remote monitoring capabilities. 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, the report showed.