Spying apps, blackmailing dishwashers: This is what the Vienna University of Technology is researching

Nowadays, not only smartphones „intelligent“, but also many other devices. These include dishwashers and electric stoves as well as clocks, lamps, TVs and stuffed animals. All of these things are connected to the internet.

The security researcher Martina Lindorfer examines in her function as a professor at the Technical University (TU) Vienna in a current Research project of the WWTFhow it is about security and data protection. The research project is carried out in cooperation with Kevin Borgolte of the Ruhr-University Bochum carried out. “It has become very difficult to find devices that are no longer smart,” says Lindorfer in an interview with futurezone. The researcher sees “a major problem” in this.

Cybercrime

The fact that the products are connected to the Internet also makes them vulnerable. They are then similarly unprotected as computers if no security updates are installed. arise vulnerabilitiesthat can be exploited by criminals. These could, for example, remotely stop the dishwasher while it is in use, and its owner could send a warning on the display extort ransom.

“This is not yet a lucrative business model because there are easier ways for criminals to make money with cybercrime,” explains Lindorfer. At a smart door lock, which has a vulnerability, things would already look a little different. “There are quite a few things that could make people’s lives uncomfortable,” says Lindorfer.

Stalkerware

However, the danger is most likely to come from your own environment, says the security researcher. What she means by this is that so-called “Stalkerware“ is used. This is software that can be used to secretly monitor people. It is often their own partners who use secretly installed smartphone apps to track where their partner is at the moment. The software does not always have to be installed secretly on the smartphone.

It is often sufficient to Apps using smart devices to check whether the light is on in the shared household and whether your partner is at home or not. Also Kinder are very often equipped with GPS watches so that the parents can follow exactly where their offspring is. “Here you have to be aware that all this data usually also transferred to the manufacturer and they also know exactly where people are or whether a lamp is on in the household,” says Lindorfer.

Spying Apps

“Many of the apps we’re investigating still have additional trackers integrated and the data is also shared with third-party providers such as Google or Facebook shared,” says the security researcher. “If we now also control our smart devices via apps, we also give this data to third parties without our knowledge – from plush teddy bears, TVs and light bulbs alike.”

The security researcher and her team are investigating for the current research project, which will continue until at least June 2024 running, currently around 5.000 Apps from smart device manufacturers. A lot can be found out: “We look at which servers the apps communicate with and how secure this communication is,” says Lindorfer. From this, conclusions can be drawn how data hungry certain products are. Sometimes it is the case that manufacturers of smart lamps know exactly which lamp is in operation in which room at the exact place of residence and for how long. Things that really only concern the residents themselves.

Disclaimer: This article was created as part of a cooperation with the WWTF.