Are You 'Suitably Paranoid' About Your Home Devices' Cybersecurity?

TORONTO — The proliferation of internet-connected home devices such as thermostats, baby monitors and fridges is creating an ever-expanding interconnected web known as the Internet of Things, or IoT. But security and legal experts warn that machine-to-machine communication is creating a new level of risk — by providing hackers with new vulnerabilities to exploit.

"I think being suitably paranoid is appropriate when you're dealing with IoT technology," said Mark McArdle, chief technology officer for eSentire.

The advent of "smart home" technologies — a type of IoT that includes internet-enabled TVs, security cameras and major appliances — could allow hackers, for example, to break into an everyday device to gather personal information or even hold it for ransom.