21 Everyday Gadgets That Can Be Hacked

Can devices that have been developed to make our lives easier be hacked? The simple answer is YES! Most of the devices that are remotely controlled can be hacked easily with knowledge and right tools. These are the devices and things that we come across regularly in our daily life.

We have listed some items that can be hacked:

• Medical Devices:

  

Medical devices are used to save people’s life. However, in recent years it has been found that medical devices contain many concerning vulnerabilities. These devices can easily be hacked and controlled by hackers too. Personal healthcare devices are vulnerable to hacking, they can be easily hacked.

• Smart TVs:

  

Smart TVs are the most vulnerable to hacking. They are equipped with WIFI and Bluetooth and using both WIFI and Bluetooth, your Smart Tv can be hacked which can then be used to monitor your activities and steal data.

• Smartwatches:

  

Smart watches are not safe they can be hacked  to track wearer’s location as well as to steal personal information.

• Baby Monitor:

Baby monitors are easy targets for hackers. Generally, parents do not change the default password of the devices, these passwords can be found on the internet very easily. Anyone can connect to these devices remotely using the passwords available online and scare the children or can track activity of house owners.

• Car:

  

  Modern cars are equipped with different electronic parts. These parts contain vulnerabilities which can be used by hackers to steal your car. Usually modern cars are fitted with car computer which can be hacked using a laptop.

• Self-Driving Cars:

  

Many car companies are building self-driving cars. These cars can be hacked and sent to a collision course. Hackers can also change the settings so that car sensor will ignore cars on the road and crash into them. This can be a major issue as some of the big players in the automobile industry are researching on  driverless cars.

• Garage Door:

  

  Trusting only remote sensors for locking garage doors can be a serious problem. These automatic garage doors can easily be opened using wires or smartphones or even a small electronic device. Therefore, it is recommended that you lock the garage door properly.

• Smart Homes or Home automation Devices:

  
  Your home can be fitted with smart devices which can make your normal home into a smart home. All the smart home devices that are fitted can easily be hacked and used to keep track of the owners or steal their personal information.

• Thermostats and Electric Meters:

  
  Both these devices can be hacked and can be used to check if the owners are in the house or not. Electric meters can also be overloaded which could result in explosions.

• Smart Locks:

  

  We think that smart locks are a safer option compared to the simple locks that we used till a few years back, however, it is not the case, these can easily be hacked by a smart hacker. Once hacked, anyone can enter your house and steal anything they want.

• Printers:

Modern printers are capable of storing information. When we scan some documents, or take printouts the printer will save a copy of the files and once the printer is hacked all the stored information can be stolen.

• ATM Machines:

  

  Many ATM machines work on the old operating system. These operating systems are vulnerable to attacks. Hackers often hack ATMs and withdraw all the cash. Hackers also add skimmers which will save all the information once the card is used on the machine.

• Traffic Lights:

  

  Shocking! Isn’t it? Traffic lights can be changed from red to green and vice versa. This technique is used by the police, fire and medical department for their convenience. However, anyone can hack it and use it for their own gain.

• Air Traffic Control System:

  

  Air traffic control system can be hacked to hinder the working of the airport. Hacking Air traffic control system will lead to planes going off course and could lead to a big disaster.

• Prison Doors:

  

  On different occasions hackers successfully, unlocked prison doors. Prison doors are remotely controlled and can be hacked making this very dangerous.

• Drones:

  

  Drones are unmanned remotely controlled aircraft. With the right tools and knowledge, anyone can take control of a Drone and use it for their own purpose.

• Low Orbit Earth Satellite:

  

  Believe it or not Satellites can also be hacked. Hackers with knowledge and right tools can build small station anywhere, which can be used to control low orbit satellite.

• Digital Cameras:

  

  Digital cameras are equipped with WIFI, which is used to transfer data. WIFI on digital cameras can be hacked and the cameras can be turned into surveillance device.

• Airport Scanners:

  

  All body scanners are installed nearly at every airport. These scanners can be hacked and the images of commuters can be leaked on the Internet.

• Smart speakers:

  

  Smart speakers are nearly everywhere; every day more and more people are investing in smart speakers to make their lifestyle more tech savvy and comfortable. For hackers, it is a very easy task to hack smart speakers along with all the devices that are connected with it.

• Tracking Devices:

  

There are many devices that are used to track locations. These can be easily hacked to know the location of its wearer resulting in kidnapping or robbery when the owner of the house is gone.

These are some of the everyday gadgets that can be hacked.  While we use them, or come across them in our everyday lives, we often ignore the fact that they can be the loophole in our security. Thus, it is important to use them smartly without compromising on the security of our data.

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