We are only at the dawn of the internet of things (IoT) where a multitude of wireless devices will present a hacker’s paradise. But the scary reality is that in today’s world it is existing devices we need to be worried about.
A new infographic from Web Hosting Buzz presents some chilling scenarios for today’s technologies based on threats ranging from surveillance and theft to technology crashes.
The threats range from hacking home appliances from baby monitors to smart fridges to hotel rooms and even airplnes and nuclear reactors. Earlier this year hackers compromised 100,000 smart household appliances, using them to send 750,000 spam emails.
In April a US couple awoke to the sound of a man shouting “wake up baby” through their wireless baby monitor.
Just this summer a security consultant using an iPad was able to gain control over lights, temperatures and blinds for 200 rooms at a hotel in China.
Some 95pc of ATMs in the world today run on defunct Windows XP software, making them susceptible to hacking. In June two Canadian schoolboys hacked Bank of Montreal ATMs before highlighting the security risk to the bank.
Today’s motor cars contain 50 or more electronic control units and hackers may soon be able to unlock and start the vehicle by sending a simple SMS. It has already been shown to be possible to hack any of 50 low-powered computers in a modern car in less than 10 seconds.
The implications could be significant when you consider power plants, medical equipment and even airplanes are now internet-connected, albeit in a lot of cases running on ageing software systems.
The top 15 scariest things that can be hacked
Hacker image at top of story via Shutterstock
