7 things in your house that can spy on you

Due to technological advances, many household items can connect to the Internet, leaving many people vulnerable to hackers.

Hackers can access your Smart TV and even control what you watch on TV.

Medical devices such as insulin pumps and pacemakers can be hacked if proper security measures are not in place.

7 PHOTOS

1. Laptop.

In 2014, law enforcement officials from the FBI and other countries uncovered more than a dozen hackers who used Blackshades software, which, in part, allowed them to activate laptop cameras to spy on victims. The program infected half a million computers, and at least one hacker blackmailed his victims by threatening to release a video he took without their knowledge.

2. Smart TV.

Research firm Revuln discovered a vulnerability in Samsung Smart TVs in 2012 that could open the door for hackers to access files on connected USB devices, as well as gain full control over the settings of the TV itself.

3. Phone.

Android owners can ask questions to the virtual assistant, and Google is building on those questions. Your Google account includes a list of all requests (no matter how awkward they were). And what will happen if this data gets to hackers?

4. Devices for health.

In 2016, a threat intelligence analyst who had diabetes revealed that he found a way to take control of insulin pumps from a distance of 800 meters and then adjust the insulin delivery and potentially kill the victim. The following year, the FDA reported that St. Jude Medic's cardiac devices, including pacemakers and defibrillators, could be hacked. St. Jude initially denied the claims, which first surfaced in 2016, and then patched the vulnerability after FDA confirmation. None of the patients were affected by the St. Jude vulnerability, but the fact itself shows the importance of creating security measures.

5. Voice assistants.

Voice assistants like Google Home are always listening to you. Always. Their activation is triggered by the words "OK Google", etc., but in order to recognize these "magic words", they also need to listen to everything you said beforehand. True, they won't send conversations to their servers for storage until you call them to action, and there have been no stories of someone hacking into them while they're inactive.

6. Surveillance cameras.

Ironically, a home security camera could be the perfect device for hackers to spy on you. A Sophos security researcher released a video showing a program that could guess the camera's password in less than a minute, not only sending a video stream to the hacker's own computer but also giving him complete control over the camera's location. He points out that most people don't change their passwords, so a hacker can easily spy on them.

7. Refrigerator, dishwasher, coffee maker.

Many household items are connected to the Internet. The idea is to make life easier - for example, refrigerators that track your diet. Needless to say, hackers can also take advantage of this.