{"id":49141,"date":"2016-04-22T10:06:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T17:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=49141"},"modified":"2025-08-15T07:25:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T14:25:05","slug":"smart-home-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a catch-all name for devices that are connected to the Internet for a variety of reasons\u2014usually analytics and automation. But the security community isn\u2019t excited about IoT because of its potential for smart gadgets (and there are a lot of possibilities here). Rather, it\u2019s because everyone is wondering how IoT will affect us on a larger scale, and how we\u2019ll achieve the end goals for IoT. One big goal today? Perfecting the smart home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The smart home is a well-connected and self-sufficient home that monitors and automates everything from energy usage and temperature to turning the lights on. But the smart home faces one challenge: It may not be as secure as it should be.<\/p>\n

Smart Homes and the Internet of Things<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s the major takeaway from a new Atlantic Council report entitled \u201cSmart Homes and the Internet of Things.\u201d The report compares smart homes\u2019 potential benefits (secure, automated homes) with its downsides (altered temperatures on thermostats, illicit items ordered automatically through fridges<\/a>). It expresses the optimistic future of smart homes, yet highlights what current systems are lacking now, and how they can be fixed to avoid future hacks.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s missing from smart homes, exactly? Basically, what they need to have is security integrated from the ground up<\/a>. In other words, security needs to be \u201cbuilt in\u201d to smart homes, rather than \u201cbolted on.\u201d Think of it this way: If an appliance fails\u2014say, an IoT oven\u2014it needs to have a safe, reliable, default mode it can revert to. Other considerations should include strong privacy protections, stand-alone operations (if a device is knocked offline) and remote updating capabilities in order to protect against new security threats.<\/p>\n

Now, almost all of these things have to be done on the manufacturer\u2019s side. Consumers, however, aren\u2019t powerless when it comes to prioritizing smart home security. It\u2019s important for all of us to consider what we want out of today\u2019s IoT devices, and understand the underlying security risks of snazzy smart home gadgets. You can take a closer look at different smart home devices, and the associated risks, in this nifty compare-and-contrast infographic:<\/p>\n

If you do wind up purchasing an IoT device for the smart home, be sure to review its security settings, change its default password and stay up to date with IoT news around the product. Remember: the actions you take to improve your own security, and the personal standards you establish, go a long way in influencing future development of new technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":674,"featured_media":90262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10661,13],"tags":[4131],"coauthors":[3973],"class_list":["post-49141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-security","category-privacy-identity-protection","tag-internet-of-things"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SHI-1.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"McAfee\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"McAfee\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/47851fdb92fad9456152405839c92efa\"},\"headline\":\"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It?\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\"},\"wordCount\":462,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Internet of Things\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Internet Security\",\"Privacy & Identity Protection\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\",\"name\":\"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg\",\"width\":1766,\"height\":1179,\"caption\":\"Wireless Technology; Digital Tablet; Efficiency; Digital Display; Locking; Unlocking; Computer Network; Domestic Life; Automated; Remote Control; Adjusting; Intelligence; Control; Power; Mobility; Innovation; On The Move; Futuristic; Security; Accessibility; Technology; Horizontal; Human Hand; Lock; Control Panel; Apartment; Home Interior; Internet; Computer Software; Application Software\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Internet Security\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/\",\"name\":\"McAfee Blog\",\"description\":\"Internet Security News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\",\"name\":\"McAfee\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png\",\"width\":1286,\"height\":336,\"caption\":\"McAfee\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/McAfee\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mcafee\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/McAfee\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/47851fdb92fad9456152405839c92efa\",\"name\":\"McAfee\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/1ffadfeeda1f4f9e7891a81f27a9ecf4\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Original-Logo-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Original-Logo-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"McAfee\"},\"description\":\"We're here to make life online safe and enjoyable for everyone.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mcafee\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/McAfee\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/author\/mcafee\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog","description":"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog","og_description":"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/","og_site_name":"McAfee Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/","article_published_time":"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SHI-1.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"McAfee","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@McAfee","twitter_site":"@McAfee","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"McAfee","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/"},"author":{"name":"McAfee","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/47851fdb92fad9456152405839c92efa"},"headline":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It?","datePublished":"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/"},"wordCount":462,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg","keywords":["Internet of Things"],"articleSection":["Internet Security","Privacy & Identity Protection"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/","name":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It? | McAfee Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg","datePublished":"2016-04-22T17:06:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-15T14:25:05+00:00","description":"If there\u2019s one topic that has the security community excited, and hopeful at the same time, it\u2019s the Internet of Things\u2014also known as IoT. It\u2019s a","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/McAfee_consumer_1female_tablet_home_72dpi.jpg","width":1766,"height":1179,"caption":"Wireless Technology; Digital Tablet; Efficiency; Digital Display; Locking; Unlocking; Computer Network; Domestic Life; Automated; Remote Control; Adjusting; Intelligence; Control; Power; Mobility; Innovation; On The Move; Futuristic; Security; Accessibility; Technology; Horizontal; Human Hand; Lock; Control Panel; Apartment; Home Interior; Internet; Computer Software; Application Software"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/smart-home-coming\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Internet Security","item":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Smart Home is Coming. Are We Ready for It?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/","name":"McAfee Blog","description":"Internet Security News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization","name":"McAfee","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png","width":1286,"height":336,"caption":"McAfee"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/","https:\/\/x.com\/McAfee","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mcafee\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/McAfee"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/47851fdb92fad9456152405839c92efa","name":"McAfee","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/1ffadfeeda1f4f9e7891a81f27a9ecf4","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Original-Logo-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Original-Logo-96x96.png","caption":"McAfee"},"description":"We're here to make life online safe and enjoyable for everyone.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mcafee\/","https:\/\/x.com\/McAfee"],"url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/author\/mcafee\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/674"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49141"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219898,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49141\/revisions\/219898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49141"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=49141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}