Quick answer: Smart home devices (cameras, baby monitors, smart plugs, televisions, doorbells) bring convenience but most ship with weak security and are new doors into your home network. The basic steps to secure a device: change the default password immediately, keep the device firmware up to date, turn off remote access and cloud features you do not use, put devices on a separate network (or the guest network), and before buying check whether the maker provides security updates. The two biggest risks are default passwords that are never changed and cameras exposed directly to the internet; these two can let strangers watch your live feed.

When you buy a smart camera, a baby monitor or a smart doorbell, you are really placing a small internet connected computer in your home. These devices make life easier but most are made cheaply with security as an afterthought. The result: thousands of cameras sitting open on the internet with their default password, live feeds anyone can watch, and weak devices used to get into the home network. This article explains how to secure smart home devices with reasonable effort.

Why these devices are risky

Most smart devices are weak for three reasons. First, many ship from the factory with the same default password and users never change it; attackers know these defaults as lists. Second, update support is poor; cheap devices stop getting security patches a year later. Third, many are configured to be exposed directly to the internet, becoming reachable from anywhere in the world. When these three combine, a camera or monitor can turn into a feed anyone can watch.

Before buying

Security actually starts in the store. Before buying a device, check whether the maker releases security updates and for how long they provide support. A device from a known brand is updated far longer than a cheap, no name alternative. If the product description says nothing about security and privacy, that is a warning sign.

What to do during setup

Step Why
Change the default password Closes the most common entry path
Update device firmware Closes known flaws
Enable two step verification (if available) Makes account takeover harder
Turn off unneeded remote access Shrinks the internet exposed surface
Put on a separate / guest network Isolates the main network
Turn off unused features Reduces the attack surface

Most of these steps take a few minutes from the device's setup app. For network isolation you can use a guest network on your home router; we explained how to set it up in the Wi-Fi and wireless network security article.

Cameras and monitors: special care

Cameras and baby monitors are the most sensitive devices for privacy because when compromised they show directly inside your home. On these devices always change the default password, enable two step verification if possible, and use remote access only if you really need it. The one thing the thousands of cameras streaming without their owners' knowledge have in common is an unchanged default password. We covered the extra risks of devices that connect via Bluetooth in the Bluetooth and BLE security article.

Not becoming part of a botnet

Another danger of compromised smart devices is that they are used in large attacks without your knowledge. Attackers take over thousands of weak devices to form a botnet and use them in attacks against other targets. If your device has slowed down, heats up unexpectedly or uses a lot of data, it may be compromised. For such symptoms and detection methods, the logic in the spyware symptoms on a device article is a good guide.

The KAOS and DSET approach

DSET assesses the IoT security of organizations and smart building infrastructures. Our local AI engine KAOS scans and detects internet exposed cameras, devices with default passwords and outdated IoT firmware on an organization's network, and reports every finding with a working proof. While the steps in this article are enough for home users, a regular inventory and assessment is essential in organizations that host many devices.

Frequently asked questions

Is there any harm in buying a cheap smart camera? Price alone is not the problem, but very cheap devices are usually updated for a short time and have weak security features. Before buying, check how long the maker provides security updates. A camera whose support ends after a year fills up with known flaws over time and becomes a risk.

Does putting my device on a separate network really matter? Yes. Smart devices are usually the weakest link; an attacker who takes over one tries to reach the computer and files on the same network. Putting devices on a separate network (or the guest network) prevents the attacker from jumping to your main network even if one device is compromised.

How do I know if my smart device is compromised? There is not always a clear sign, but unexpected slowdown, overheating, unusual data usage or the device restarting on its own should raise suspicion. In such a case, reset the device to factory settings, update its firmware, change the password and turn off unneeded remote access.

Sources

To assess the IoT security of your organization or smart building infrastructure, contact DSET. We provide IoT security consulting from our Ankara Hacettepe Teknokent laboratory.