Smart TVs a gateway to home networks for hackers

The Trend Micro 2022 Annual Cybersecurity Roundup report has been published. Among the findings, three in four (75.1%) of the organisation’s Australian Identity Protection users were notified that their data was found on the Dark Web. Email is the most common piece of information found in a breach.

The report highlights the prevalence of identity theft in the wake of 2022’s high profile corporate breaches. Trend says it saw a 55% increase in overall blocked threats compared to 2021, with a record 146 billion threats blocked globally. Blocked malicious files also surged by 242%, surpassing 60 billion. Mobile threats remained steady with 36 million malicious apps blocked.

The report indicates that anything connected to the internet is at risk, including smart TVs, which can serve as gateways to anything connected to the home network. Australia experienced 118 attacks per connected household in 2022 — almost one attack every two days — highlighting the need for heightened cybersecurity measures across the entire home network.

“The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and 2022 was no exception,” said Tim Falinski, VP of Consumer Business at Trend Micro, AMEA.

“Our 2022 Annual Cybersecurity Roundup report shows that cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and their attacks are becoming more targeted and destructive. With the continued rise of cyber threats, it’s essential for individuals to stay informed about the latest threats, be suspicious of phishing emails and links, and use anti-virus software to help protect from potential threats.”

The report also emphasises that home users should not forget the basics of cybersecurity, as clicks on malicious links remained high. In Australia alone, 55,786,698 clicks on malicious URLs were blocked, ranking seventh globally.

Australian findings reveal:

• 171,682,995 email threats blocked
• 55,786,698 blocked clicks on malicious URLs (seventh in world)
• 126,793,675 malware detections
• 682,599 malicious apps blocked (fourth in world).
   

Image credit: iStock.com/RainStar