Computer security has become a concern to take into account during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cyberattacks have come to put health organizations and hospital complexes in check, even the WHO has detected a serious attempt to steal their information and ordinary citizens are suffering an increase in fraud, phishing and password theft attempts, especially through fraudulent web pages that supposedly offer information and remedies related to the coronavirus; but also through various security holes in the popular Zoom video conferencing software, which millions and millions of people have turned to in recent weeks to work and to stay in touch with their loved ones during confinement.
All these risks are combined with a very particular situation, in which the population is making particularly intensive use of their computers and mobile devices from their homes. To do this, they connect to the Internet through home Wi-Fi networks that are easily attackable, and more so since there are home automation devices and connected household appliances in them, which have opened new doors to cyberattacks. We explore new solutions designed to provide more security in this new technological era.

The weakest link of the smart home

The problem with home automation devices –such as smart thermostats and connected plugs or light bulbs– is that, in order to be controlled remotely, when we are away from home, they have to be connected to the Internet and be accessible (directly or indirectly) from outside of our home network. They are usually devices without a great sophistication of hardware and software, simple to use and easy to configure. The usual process is through a smartphone app, which detects them and provides them with the password for the home WiFi network so that they can connect to it.
To make this process simple, a home automation device announces itself on the network, as if raising its hand to identify itself, and this can attract the attention of hackers. Researchers have evaluated the vulnerability of the most popular home automation gadgets, scoring their security in four aspects: that of the device itself, that of its communications within the home network, that of the mobile app and that of the cloud service used to be able to have a remote control from outside the house.