- Author｜Anonymous
- Source｜Qianjia.com
- Release time｜2021-02-02
Data Privacy Day was established by the National Cyber Security Alliance in 2008, and it is held on January 28 each year. The purpose of its establishment is to encourage more people to pay attention to data privacy and protect online personal information security with their own actual actions.
Just past January 28, 2021, it means that we have passed a data privacy day. Many things have happened in the past year, including the global pandemic of the new coronavirus, which has caused many of us to rely on our equipment more than ever. In recent years, the boundaries between technology, privacy and convenience have become blurred. Technology gradually enters our lives, quietly stripping away our privacy layer in exchange for greater convenience, many of us are willing to accept it.
I hope we can draw people’s attention to data protection and discuss privacy issues today, but have you stopped to consider who is listening? If today’s goal is to enhance personal capabilities and encourage companies to respect privacy, protect data and build trust, then this article Aims to clarify the threat that smart devices may pose to our privacy.
When Amazon first launched the Echo in 2014, people were skeptical about whether to allow the world's largest online retailer to install listening devices in your home. Today, Amazon has sold more than 100 million smart speakers, and "Alexa" has actually become a household name. Moreover, it is just the tip of the iceberg.
At the time of writing, more than 12% of houses worldwide are considered "smart houses" due to having one or more connected devices. It is estimated that by 2025, this number will reach 21%, which means that one in five households in the world will need to start thinking about data privacy issues very seriously.
What are the risks of smart devices?
Although many of the most common "monitoring" devices (such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and certain security and smart home devices) usually have built-in authentication or encryption, cheap non-branded devices usually don't. This makes it easier for malicious actors to establish direct connections with these devices while easily bypassing any firewall restrictions. When you consider that cyber attackers can spy on your home by exploiting vulnerabilities in smart security systems designed to protect you, it really makes you see everything.
In addition to equipment, people should also be aware of what is happening behind the scenes. For companies that develop and manufacture many of these devices, data is the new currency. It is usually widely shared with third parties such as other manufacturers, insurance companies, data aggregators, social media sites and even governments (usually without direct consent), all of whom have a vested interest in your data.
Which devices are vulnerable?
According to SAM Seamless Networks, 47% of vulnerable devices installed on home networks are security cameras. This not only puts your house in danger, but ultimately puts the entire server at risk. For example, if hackers control 1,000 webcams, they can use them to simultaneously request and crash the server, causing downtime and potentially thousands of vulnerable households. These are called DDoS attacks, and today, a large amount of traffic that causes DDoS attacks comes from home-based IoT devices.
It is important to remember that it is not only professional cybercriminals who have the advantage here. If someone is willing to spend time and energy eavesdropping on your house, then less complex use is still possible. In the United Kingdom in 2018, one of the first cases ever prosecuted for abuse related to the Internet of Things was sentenced to 11 months in prison. A man was found guilty of alienating his wife by tapping his voice through a microphone on a wall-mounted tablet computer, which is used to control the heating and lighting in the home.
What steps can you take to protect yourself?
All of us should control our data privacy, but once our data is transferred to the cloud, this control will be greatly diminished. This is one of the reasons why the Internet of Things is such a fragile and complex concept. We don’t always know exactly what is being shared or with whom, so the best thing we can do is to maintain as much control as possible when sharing information.
Another major risk comes from not updating the software on these devices-look for a company that promises to continue to update the software and provide regular patches.
Try not to leak data unnecessarily, and always be wary of untrusted or unfamiliar websites. If an application or service requires more information than you think is necessary, please challenge it. Some registration pages are designed to make you look mandatory, thereby making you give up more information (such as phone numbers or addresses).
Service providers must stop adopting these strategies, and manufacturers must allow users to exercise greater control over their equipment. Users should be able to completely turn off their devices when they are not in use, or disconnect services such as GPS or microphones when they are not needed.
Data Privacy Day is the best time to conduct a "digital spring cleaning" and get rid of any unnecessary equipment, services and old accounts. This is also a good time to talk about data privacy and question the amount of data you give up-whether you like it or not.
