Hackers in Your Bed? The Shocking Security Risks of Smart Mattresses

Hot Take:

Smart beds: the ultimate bed and breakfast for hackers!

Key Points:

• Smart beds can be hacked to gain access to a user’s entire home network.
• Hackers could deploy malware, steal data, and learn when no one is home.
• Dillan Mills discovered the security flaw while trying to access his Sleep Number bed locally.
• The bed’s hub communicates with servers via an SSH tunnel, creating a potential backdoor.
• Disconnecting the bed from Wi-Fi and using Bluetooth can improve its security.

When Sweet Dreams Turn Sour

Smart beds, the latest in sleep tech, can apparently double as a welcome mat for hackers. Yes, that’s right, your high-tech mattress might be more inviting to cybercriminals than a free buffet. According to cybersecurity experts, these beds can be hacked to gain access to your entire home network. This isn’t just a nightmare scenario where someone messes with your sleep data; hackers could deploy malware, steal sensitive information, and even figure out when you’re not home. This unsettling discovery was made by Dillan Mills, a computer engineer who was merely trying to streamline his Sleep Number bed’s performance without straining the company’s servers. Little did he know, he’d end up uncovering a digital Pandora’s box.

SSH Tunnels: The Bedtime Story No One Asked For

In his quest for local network access, Mills discovered that his sleep sanctuary was communicating with Sleep Number servers through an SSH tunnel. Now, for those not fluent in cybersecurity jargon, an SSH tunnel is like a secret passageway that allows data to travel securely. However, in this case, it also provides a reverse tunnel back to the hub. While this feature was probably designed for maintenance, Mills quickly realized the horrifying potential: unknown users could directly connect to his internal home network. “The idea that unknown users can directly connect to my internal home network is a scary thought,” Mills concluded, probably while clutching his duvet a little tighter. Consequently, he decided to disconnect the hub from the external internet once he was satisfied with his internal network control script. He also began to ponder how many other smart home devices might include similar backdoors.

How to Outsmart Your Smart Bed

Fortunately, Mills managed to root the device, giving him local network control. This means users can now disconnect their smart bed from the local Wi-Fi network and maintain it via Bluetooth only, significantly improving security. So, if you’ve got a smart bed and you’re suddenly feeling a bit paranoid, fret not. You can take a leaf out of Mills’ book and give your bed a digital curfew. This simple action can keep your bed from becoming an uninvited guest’s playground.

Smart Beds: The Double-Edged Sword of Home Automation

Smart home devices offer the promise of an improved quality of life. Imagine a bed that can maintain the perfect mattress temperature, track your sleep patterns, breathing, and heart rate. It sounds like a dream come true, right? However, every new smart device added to your network also opens up a new door for hackers. The convenience of adjusting your sleep setup via a smartphone app comes at a cost, and that cost might be your cybersecurity. It’s a classic case of “you win some, you lose some,” only in this scenario, losing could mean compromising your entire home network.

Conclusion: The Bedtime Balancing Act

In a world where even your bed can be hacked, it’s clear that we need to tread carefully. While smart beds and other internet-connected devices can enhance our lives, they also make us vulnerable to cyber threats. The discovery by Dillan Mills serves as a wake-up call for all of us to be more vigilant about our smart home devices. So, next time you’re enjoying a perfect night’s sleep, remember: your bed might be smart, but you need to be smarter.

For those who can’t get enough of such techy tales, sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter. Get all the top news, opinions, features, and guidance your business needs to succeed. And if you’re still worried about your home network, perhaps it’s time to look into the best firewalls and endpoint protection tools available. Sweet dreams, and don’t let the hackers bite!

Sead, a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes about IT and cybersecurity. With more than a decade of experience, he’s contributed to