Smart IoT Devices in the Home: Security and Privacy Implications

Internet of Things (IoT) devices possess network capabilities and contain at least a part of the application logic, i.e., they have the ability to perform Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) communications on their own, and can process some of the sensor data. The IoT thus refers to the network of physical objects embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity to enable objects to exchange data with the manufacturer, operator, and/or other connected devices. At the start of this decade, there were an estimated 12.5 billion IoT devices, almost twice as much as the world's population of 6.8 billion people [1]. The number of IoT devices is expected to grow rapidly in coming years.