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Can Home Appliances Be Hacked?

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Everything keeps getting more and more technologically advanced. With smart home appliances becoming more and more commonplace, there then comes the concern about whether or not they can be hacked. If you can tweet from your fridge, and accounts can be hacked, it stands to reason that your home appliances can be hacked too, doesn’t it? If your home appliances aren’t working properly, could this be due to having been hacked, or does it simply mean it’s time to call your local repair person?

Here’s what you need to know about whether or not home appliances can be hacked and how you can protect your smart home appliances.

smart home appliances be hacked

Yes, Smart Home Appliances Can Be Hacked

You may not be anywhere near as concerned about if your smart home appliances are hacked versus if your laptop or your phone is, but it is possible. From Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators to robot vacuums to smart thermostats and more, smart home appliances can make life easier, but they can also compromise your privacy and security.

While it is rare for home appliances like your refrigerator to be hacked, it can still occur. As such, it’s important to ensure that you take the proper precautions in order to protect your data.

In short, if it’s connected to the internet, it can be hacked, no matter what it is.

smart home appliances be hacked

Why Would Someone Hack A Home Appliance?

If someone hacks your laptop or phone, they’re likely after sensitive information, like your banking account number. Hackers can hack home appliances for the same purposes. Many people have their smart home appliances on the same network as their computers and phones, so if a hacker can hack a home appliance, they can then get into the information stored on your laptop.

Sometimes, people hack home appliances just to be malicious, rather than to steal your information. Perhaps you’ve heard of the coffee maker that was hacked and held for ransom. Hackers can also hack into your home appliances to cause problems, like sending controllers wrong information so that appliances like your robot vacuum charge with a high voltage. You could also end up with burst pipes from a hacker shutting down your smart thermostat or HVAC system.

If your devices have cameras, hackers can spy on you through them. They can lock and unlock smart doors. They can use your appliances to mine cryptocurrency and for illegal activities.

For the most part, if a hacker hacks your home appliance, they’re looking to get after your data on other devices on the same network. If your home appliances are connected to a public network, a hacker can use your appliance to then scan for connected IP cameras or point of sales systems at nearby stores.

smart home appliances be hacked

How To Protect Your Home Appliances From Hackers

People often hear “this is rare” and then assume it’s something that they don’t need to worry about. However, just because it is rare for a hacker to hack into your home appliances doesn’t mean it’s something that you shouldn’t protect yourself from. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to protecting your data and sensitive personal information.

Some of the ways that you can protect your smart home appliances from being hacked are as follows.

Isolate Them On Their Own Network

You know how you should avoid public networks because of how vulnerable your information is when you use them? The same safety tip applies to your home appliances.

You don’t want them connected to the same network as your laptop, because then a hacker could get to your laptop’s information from your smart refrigerator. You also don’t want them connected to a public network. You want to have them connected to their own network, so that even if they do get hacked, the hacker can’t compromise your entire home network from the appliance.

Use Unique Passwords

We know, it’s so much easier to remember the same password. However, you want to ensure that you use different passwords for everything. You don’t want to stick with the password the device came with, as these can simply be Googled.

In order to secure your appliances, ensure that you use strong, unique passwords for everything. You also want to ensure that you change your passwords on a regular basis. This makes it more difficult for a hacker to get into your network.

Only Use Reputable Brands

Stick with well-known brands that have a reputation to protect, such as Samsung or LG. Cutting corners with smart home appliances may seem like it’ll give you all the benefits at a lower price, but if the brand isn’t reputable, you could be putting your privacy and security at risk.

Secure Your Appliances

Some smart features are handy, like a smart thermostat. But others, like your refrigerator, probably don’t need access to the internet in order to run efficiently. Ensure that your appliances have the highest level of security their settings allow. If you don’t need a smart device, you can opt for a normal appliance or disable the Wi-Fi on it.

Are You Having Trouble With Your Home Appliances?

VanderDoes Home Services provides appliance repair to keep your appliances running efficiently. If your refrigerator isn’t running properly, we can assess whether the problem is with the fridge itself, and if it is, we can fix it.

Contact us today to schedule your appliance repair and let us help you keep your home running efficiently.

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