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. 

See more

Gamblin also released a video, which appears to show him rebooting the Home Hub remotely:

See more

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. 

Via Android Authority

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.