Smart devices in the home make everyday life easier and are becoming increasingly popular. However, as the number of devices increases, so do the security risks.

As the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office reports, experts from the Austrian insurance association VVO and KEV (Board of Trustees for Road Safety) as well as the Federal Chancellery (BK) will discuss the future opportunities and risks of networked everyday helpers at a joint press conference.

Today’s technology promises a more comfortable, safer and “smarter” life. Smart homes - i.e. households based on digitally networked devices that are intended to increase the quality of living and life, security or more efficient use of energy - have advantages, but also involve risks:

“Smart homes are also on the rise in Austria and will be an integral part of the households of the future. Despite all the enthusiasm for the convenience of current technological developments, a new security and insurance awareness is also necessary - from adapting household and homeowners insurance to insurance protection against hackers and cyber crime,"

explains Mag. Rémi Vrignaud, Chairman of the Allianz Group in Austria and Vice President of the Austrian Insurance Association VVO.

A current KFV study shows that the Austrians surveyed are rather skeptical about the topic of smart homes in terms of security issues. For the majority of those surveyed, the risks currently outweigh the benefits of smart devices.

The fear of “devices becoming independent” is cited as one of the most common reasons (46 percent) for the uncertainty.

Prevention through information

“The problem of the continuous increase in cybercrime cases is massively exacerbated by the rapidly increasing number of networked devices and therefore offers a particularly attractive target for criminals. In order to slow down this development, a rethink is required not only among users, but also among manufacturers. As long as there are no changes here, the threat situation in IoT (Internet of Things, i.e. devices connected to the Internet) from cybercrime will continue to increase. IoT devices should therefore never be operated unprotected on the Internet.”

explains Mag. Leopold Löschl from the BK Cybercrime Competence Center. Taking initiative and simple prevention measures can significantly reduce the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime.

“There have been continuous increases in cybercrime since 2014: in 2017, 16,804 reports were reported to the police. With an increase of 28.2 percentage points compared to the previous year, the trend of recent years continues,”

said the expert.

Tips and tricks for safely using smart home devices:

Focus on quality

• Pay attention to the compatibility of new and existing devices with one another.
• Find specialist personnel with IT security expertise.
• Pay attention to sustainability and support instead of buying cheap products.

Take a closer look at data protection

• Read user agreements.
• Pay attention to the technical possibilities and software solutions of the devices.
• Actively operate configurations and set settings in a data protection-friendly manner.

Make hacker attacks more difficult

• Read operating instructions.
• Use thoughtful password management.
• Turn off smart devices when you are away from home.

Left:


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )