Hacked fridges and other dangers lurking in the ‘internet of shit’

One reader sounds a warning about all our devices that are connected to the internet, following a series of cyber-attacks on supermarket fridges

Well done to Alex Pearce for unplugging his fridge from the internet (Hot fridges, a fake nuclear alert and a $6bn heist: are we in the foothills of a hacking epidemic?, 8 November). My only question is why he didn’t do it a few weeks earlier, when the first round of hacked fridges were headline news for several days.

Your article notes that there are millions of devices connected to the internet. This sea of domestic and industrial controllers, known as the “internet of things” in marketing literature and the “internet of shit” by engineers, all have several things in common: their firmware is almost never upgraded, software security features are a fig leaf and the vast majority can run without an internet connection.

For many of these devices, it’s already too late – they are already part of a botnet used to attack other devices on the internet. AI does not bring anything novel, but has massively reduced the time required to find exploits that turn your shiny new toy into part of the problem.

Whether it’s a home security camera, industrial fridge or blast furnace, the advice of this software security specialist with a sideline in industrial controllers is the same: upgrade if you’re confident, unplug if you’re not. Don’t give your oven the wifi password. Name and address supplied