Google denies claims of Home Hub security issues
There's no doubt that we are living in the age of the smart home, and despite misgivings around security issues, the public has largely accepted connected devices with open arms (and wallets).
Unfortunately, it seems some of those misgivings aren't completely baseless, as developer Jerry Gamblin found he was able to hack into his new Google Home Hub with relative ease.
He claims he was able to do this due to an undocumented API, which allowed him to reboot the Home Hub, erase the wireless network setup, and disable notifications, which is fairly alarming for Home Hub owners.
Gamblin also released a video, which appears to show him rebooting the Home Hub remotely:
Hackers gonna hack
Google has denied Gamblin's claims, telling Android Authority that "all Google Home devices are designed with user security and privacy top of mind and use a hardware-protected boot mechanism to ensure that only Google-authenticated code is used on the device. In addition, any communication carrying user information is authenticated and encrypted."
How concerned we should be about the security of our Home Hubs and other smart devices is unclear. Are we really surprised that a hacker was able to hack into a smart device?
Of course, it's worrying when you bring things like personal data including voice searches, photos, and bank details into the mix, but we wouldn't suggest throwing your Home Hub out the window just yet.
