2025-05-20 11:11:06

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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