Your smart bulb can be hacked to deliver ransomware, reveals Check Point

With smart homes come smarter ways of hacking. Cybersecurity firm Check Point has revealed that a major security loophole in a communication standard in smart home devices allows hackers to take over a connected home.

The attack method exploits vulnerabilities in Zigbee, an open communication standard that operates wirelessly in several smart home devices such as Philips Hue Smart Light Bulbs, Amazon Echo, Samsung SmartThings, and Belkin WeMo, the official release notes.

Hackers can enter a home's computer network via connected home device from over 100 meters with just a laptop and antenna to launch an over-the-air attack to make the smart device malfunction and then release ransomware or spyware into the companion devices.