"Smart Home Hubs Leave Users Vulnerable to Hackers"

According to new research from the University of Georgia (UGA) on smart home hubs, convenience may cost personal security. A smart hub is a centralized device that allows users to control their smart devices from one place. These hubs rely on technology to connect to the Internet, but not the user's individual smart devices. In theory, hubs make smart device use safer, but in the past, cybercriminals have hacked into Internet-connected baby monitors or smart cameras, allowing them to track their targets' movements. Hackers cannot infiltrate a device if it is not Wi-Fi enabled. However, UGA researchers created ChatterHub, a system that can successfully reveal the cyber activity of various smart hubs almost 90 percent of the time. According to Kyu Lee, lead author of the study and associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, all traffic to and from a smart home hub is encrypted but the researchers were able to use Machine Learning (ML) technology to determine much of the activity without having to decrypt the information. ChatterHub does not need to be physically close to the system it is attempting to hack. To remotely break into the system, the hacker does not need prior knowledge of the types of smart devices or the hub manufacturer. Smart hubs send and receive information packets to and from individual devices, allowing users to listen to music through an app, check their Ring camera, and more. As the information packets are encrypted, an outsider cannot decipher what they say. For example, when a smart home lock is locked, it sends a packet to the hub, which then forwards it to the server, according to Lee. The actual information that the lock has locked cannot be seen, but it is possible to figure out that information with high accuracy using patterns, packet size, and packet timing. Although the information is encrypted, attackers can still use it. They can figure out homeowners' daily patterns and whether someone is home at a given time, leaving the homeowner vulnerable to a break-in. This article continues to discuss the ChatterHub developed by UGA researchers that can successfully disclose the cyber activity of various smart hubs nearly 90 percent of the time, making users vulnerable to hackers.

UGA Today reports "Smart Home Hubs Leave Users Vulnerable to Hackers"