Homes today may have a vacuum cleaner, fridge, doorbell, baby monitor, and security camera all connected to Wi-Fi. Throw in headphones, speakers, and televisions linked up via Bluetooth and you’ve got a ‘Smart Home’.

There’s no denying the convenience these connected devices deliver but it comes at a cost – security.

These devices have accessibility and ease-of-use front of mind. Security takes a backseat because if you have to log-in every time you open the fridge, you lose the convenience factor.

This trade-off can make for easy pickings for cyber crooks. Although the average punter in Parramatta or Pymble probably doesn’t worry too much about hackers hijacking their high-definition web cameras, it can happen.

But as these devices enter businesses and critical infrastructure, the risk rises.

Any modern hospital, mining site, factory, data centre, energy company or water supplier is a web of connected devices. While critical infrastructure and operational technology (OT) – ventilators, excavators, or cutting machines, for example – are typically hardened against attacks, wireless technology and devices connected to them remain vulnerable.

Devices like thermometers, cameras, or energy meters greatly expand the attack surface and open the door for a wide array of wireless-specific attacks.

According to a recent OT/IoT Security Report, there’s been a surge in cybercriminals targeting these devices with network attacks increasing 19 per cent in the second half of 2023 compared to the first six months. Within the critical manufacturing sector, there was a 230 per cent increase in attacks over the same period.

Making matters worse, once attackers have identified these devices on the network, gaining access is often a simple matter as many organisations keep the device’s default username and password.

While many threat actors are clever, it doesn’t take a genius to commandeer a device when the username and password is admin/admin.

For too long these devices have operated in a blind spot. Australian businesses are relying more on the real-time data these devices feed into decision- making. Despite the change in status, devices’ security has lagged providing an attacker easy access to the crown jewels they’re after.

Radio frequency audits help Wi-Fi networks operate optimally and highlight potential threats. While a powerful tool, they don’t offer real-time protection and only capture the radio frequency at a given time.

Real-time offers the advantage of catching malicious behaviour red handed and can be tailored to the specific needs of a business, covering not just Wi-Fi but cellular, drone operations, Bluetooth and more.

Businesses using smart devices should consider real-time scanning of their wireless networks to catch cyber snoops ‘in the air’, while anyone with Smart Home appliances needs to regularly update their fridge’s password.