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Sunaina Rana /
Emirates Business
Smart homes technology is undergoing boom across the UAE, but at the same time it brings along many apprehensions.
Industry experts have rung the security alarm and asked for the secure upkeep of personal details of the stakeholders. They advised the consumers to stay more vigilant while sharing private data with cyber companies involved in setting up smart cities.
“There are vulnerabilities for sure. And we have many examples where data has been captured using questionable consent models and not just by hackers. Therefore, we have to find solutions for these loose ends,†said Raj Samani, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, EMEA at Intel Security.
A survey conducted by the Intel Security stated that upto 54 percent respondents were willing to share their personal information collected from their smart homes with companies in exchange for money. The survey also found that 77 percent of respondents believe smart homes will be as common in 2025 as smartphones are today, but 66 percent are also very concerned about smart home data being hacked by cyber-criminals.
Major concerns clouding the smart homes market is that the sensors in the equipment can be hacked, leading to signal failures that shut down subways.
The survey also revealed that the respondents raised their concern over the potential security threats from smart homes, with 92 percent expressing concern that their personal data could be hacked by cybercriminals. Whilst 89 percent respondents stated that if they live in a smart home they would possibly prefer to secure all their smart device data through a one integrated solution.