Increasing the security of smart home devices

With 83% of Australians owning smart home devices, this has seen increasing concerns over cybersecurity and the risk of these devices being targeted by hackers.

Swinburne’s Cybersecurity Lab has received $360,000 in funding from the Minister for Education Dan Tehan to research and develop technology that can prevent cyber attacks on smart devices. The research grant forms part of $5 million in funding for 11 new research partners, which was announced by the Minister at Swinburne’s Factory of the Future.

“Eight out of ten Australians have a smart device in their home, including smart TVs, baby monitors and mobile phones; nearly 50% of us have three or more such devices,” Tehan said. “These devices are being targeted by cybercriminals and hackers and any security vulnerability in the internet-enabled devices in our homes can have very real consequences. People need to have confidence when using new technology that they have the best possible protection.”

Led by Professor Yang Xiang, Dean of the Digital Research Innovation Capability Platform, a team of researchers will use specialised techniques, including software testing, to identify vulnerabilities in smart home devices and appliances connected to the internet, such as security cameras, home assistance devices and baby monitors. Yang said: “The techniques we develop will position Australia as a world leader in vulnerability detection.”

The Cybersecurity Lab will work with industry partner Greenland Property Group (GPG) to apply their findings to real-world scenarios.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/RobertKneschke