Security Analysis of Low-Budget IoT Smart Home Appliances Embedded Software and Connectivity

Abstract

This paper investigates the challenge of finding and analyzing security vulnerabilities among widely available low-budget Internet of Things smart home appliances. It considers the identification of security vulnerabilities within the appliances’ embedded software and connectivity functions over wired and wireless channels in local networks and external communications with manufacturers’ cloud services. To analyze the security of these appliances, a universal laboratory test bench is proposed and a set of methodologies for testing the security of smart home devices is described. The proposed testing platform offers a practical solution for security analysis of Internet of Things smart home devices and it can serve as a reference approach for future research. The results from the research indicated varying levels of susceptibility across different types of devices. A list of recommendations for manufacturers and others to improve the security level of these appliances is provided. The findings emphasize the need for regular security assessments of smart home devices, to maintain the protection of personal and sensitive information.