Does a stranger have the keys to your castle?

Your home used to be considered your castle. But these days, thanks to all of the high-tech conveniences of this modern era, it looks like the drawbridge has been let down and the gate opened to almost anyone.

Right now, your doorbell can be answered when you’re not home, your refrigerator can alert you when you’re running out of milk (and even track its expiration date), and your doctor can be pinged when you swallow a pill, to name just a few.

There are even “smart” bulbs that connect with Amazon’s Alexa so that you can tell “her” which lights to turn on and off. We’ve certainly come a long way from the Clapper switch! (Remember those “clap on, clap off” commercials?)

These new devices can certainly make you feel like one of the Jetsons! But they also jeopardize our most basic rights to privacy in ways you would never believe.

And now, the idea that someone – or something – is spying on us is no longer reserved for those donning a tinfoil hat. It’s no secret anymore — we are being watched!

A new study that shows how many of these “smart” devices can spy on us is as frightening as any Alfred Hitchcock movie… only this is for real.

So, before you fully leap into this brave new world of technology (as tempting as it may be), there are some very important things you need to know.

Opening Pandora’s box

We all know what the Internet is, but what on earth is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

It turns out that it’s not some slang expression, but an industry term used to describe anything that can connect to the Internet (or other device) and transmit data.

It’s not just your phone, either!

That’s what all those “smart” appliances are about – whether it’s your washer, fridge, coffeemaker, or car.

And while they may be opening our doors to exciting “connected” futures, they’re also opening peepholes right into our homes.

Dr. Yossi Oren, with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, has been researching the vulnerability of the IoT for some time, and he has just published a paper with a scary name: “Opening Pandora’s Box.”

The danger of being hacked these days goes way beyond your computer to all kinds of “off-the-shelf smart devices” from alarm clocks and doorbells to toys that connect to your phone so that you can talk to your kids through them — even that robotic device that automatically cleans your floor.

“It is truly frightening how easily a criminal, voyeur, or pedophile can take over these devices,” he warned.

To prove that point, Dr. Oren demonstrated how he could hack a baby monitor, turn off a “smart” thermostat, and activate a camera remotely – all from his own lab. And he said that it only took him half an hour to crack the passwords on many of these devices (more on that in a minute), often by simply Googling the brand names.

Then, there are the drugs.

Three years ago, we first told you how Big Pharma and its friends at the FDA had set the stage for “tracking pills” when the agency approved an itsy-bitsy chip meant to be swallowed.

That plan took a giant step forward last year when the FDA OK’d a drug with that chip already inside it. Once it hits your stomach, it activates and sends out data via Bluetooth about the med you just took (and who knows what else?).

While that message is intended to only be shared with those you select (such as your doctor or a family member), it can just as easily land in the wrong hands. You don’t have to be a computer geek these days to intercept some incredibly sensitive data!

Thanks goodness that it’s only being used in one drug at the moment (the antipsychotic Abilify), but you know that others will follow… and soon!

So, what can we do at this point? After all, it’s way too late to put the genie back inside the bottle (or cart that really expensive TV back to Best Buy!).

There are, however, some steps you can take to “dumb down” your smart devices.

Have a smartphone? You should know that Google is constantly following your comings and goings on its “location history” app. Simply log into your Google account and check out your “timeline” and you’ll see fully detailed maps of everywhere you’ve been while toting that phone.

And then, turn your “location history” off… and beware of apps turning it back on again!

Another tip is to not connect appliances to the Internet unless absolutely necessary. (Do you really need to read your email on the TV?)

And find out from the manufacturer if your security cameras or other “smart devices” (such as those linked doorbells and thermostats) have default passwords. If they do, change them ASAP.

Dr. Oren also warns not to buy these items used, as they may be contaminated with malicious software that can be used to spy on you.

But that’s not the only danger of not being the first to use one of these things – because realtors have reported cases when a new home buyer mysteriously finds lights turning on and off or the thermostat being reset. But it wasn’t a ghost…  rather those IoT devices that were still connected to the prior owner’s phone.

Talk about an unmistakable sign of the times!

But whatever you do to keep your castle secure from prying eyes, never ever let anyone talk you into swallowing one of those tracking pills!

“Smart devices can spy on you, say BGU researchers” Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, The Jerusalem Post, March 14, 2018, jpost.com