Smart toasters may be used to spy on people
Smart toasters could be used to spy on people.
As tech firms ditch security updates for old devices that are connected to the web via Wi-Fi, it gives people the perfect opportunity to hack into the products.
It comes as cyber attackers launched a "zombie army" of internet-connected devices in 2016, which resulted in them shutting down large parts of the web.
Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Surrey, added that non-protected devices act as a "stepping stone" for hackers.
He is quoted by The Times as saying: 'In some ways, it might not matter that your toaster doesn't get updated.
'But actually if it's on your network and somebody discovers a vulnerability, that vulnerability is never going to be fixed.
"If it remains connected and it's just kind of ignored, then it can be a stepping stone."
Andrew Laughlin, from consumer choice brand Which?, told the publication: "This is a pattern that we see time and again as companies drop support for their smart products, sometimes after as little as two years."
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