Only half of the Dutch regularly update their smart devices. As part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate’s ‘Do your updates’ campaign, an ethical hacker tried to get into the home network of a number of households with their permission.

Not updating smart devices increases the risk of being hacked, as we mentioned earlier in this article about updating smart devices. Updating is therefore important, because this makes it more difficult for internet criminals to penetrate. As part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate’s ‘Do your updates’ campaign, an ethical hacker tried to get into the home network of a number of households with their permission. And so print the Christmas card you don’t want to receive. In this way, households are made aware of the possible security risks of their smart devices.

Hacker penetrates through the printer
In 2021, almost 2.5 million Dutch people were victims of online crime (1). Hackers can penetrate your home network through poorly secured smart devices. 91% of Dutch households have one or more smart devices such as a smart TV or smart thermostat (2). Only half indicate that they regularly update their smart devices. This puts many people at risk of being hacked. To make the Dutch aware of this, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate is running the campaign ‘Doe je updates’. As part of the campaign, an ethical hacker tried to get into the home network of a number of households – with their permission. And so print the Christmas card that you do not want to receive via the wireless printer.
Hackers only need one poorly secured device to penetrate you. And so to get to your personal data. Ethical hacker Dirk-Jan Bartels from Eurofins Digital Testing & Cyber ​​Security contributed to the campaign. He aims to find and report possible security vulnerabilities: “Because smart devices are connected to your Wi-Fi network, hackers can access all your personal data via your smart devices. By updating your devices, you ensure that the latest security is on the devices. This makes it much more difficult for criminal hackers.”

Christmas card you don’t want to receive
Bartels went on a road trip through the Netherlands and tried to enter households in the network via insufficiently secured devices. Beforehand, the households gave permission for the hacker to test whether their network and devices were adequately secured. If he managed to break in, to their surprise he printed a Christmas card via the wireless printer with tips on how to improve their digital security. “It was good to make people aware of possible security risks in this playful way,” says Bartels. “You often read in the news that companies are being hacked, but something like this can also happen to you in your private life. You really noticed the surprise in the households where it worked. Fortunately, there were also people who had done all their updates and were therefore unable to break into their network and print the Christmas card. Whether it’s a business or household, it’s just important that you do your updates regularly.”

Doesn’t always update automatically
Not all smart devices update automatically, although this is often thought. You also don’t always get a notification when an update is ready. That is why it is important to regularly check your smart devices for new updates. For most devices, you do this in the settings in the corresponding app. In addition to new features that you can easily see and recognize, updating often also solves digital vulnerabilities. This way you keep your smart devices safe and protect your network against internet criminals.

Printers, home appliances and switches least updated
Is your device connected to the internet? Then your device is smart. And is it wise to perform updates. Still, some smart devices are updated less often. For example, only 44% of the Dutch update their wireless printer. Household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines (31%) and remote-controlled switches (27%) are the least updated.

Prevent a hack, do the Update Check
Do you want more information and tips? Then go to doejeupdates.nl and do the Update-Check. Make an overview of your smart devices per room. Then the Update-Check tells you step by step how you can update each smart device, such as your smart doorbell to thermostat.

(1) CBS: ‘2.5 million Dutch people will be victims of online crime in 2021’; https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2022/09/2-5-milljoen-nederlanders-in-2021-slachtoffer-van-online-criminaliteit
(2) The survey was conducted from 23 to 26 July 2021 by research agency Kantar. More than 1,000 Dutch people aged 18 and older who own one or more smart devices participated in the study.