Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Modeling of IoT Smart Home Devices

The increasing integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in households offers numerous benefits, enhancing comfort and convenience in daily life. However, as these devices often record sensitive user information, their widespread use raises significant cybersecurity concerns. Despite the rapid advancement and proliferation of smart devices, the application of robust security measures during manufacturing is not consistent, partly due to the absence of universally recognised security standards for smart devices. This paper investigates the security of commercially available IoT-connected smart devices, such as smart televisions and air conditioners, by collecting and analysing frame-level data. The analysis of the data link layer frames of IoT-connected smart devices revealed numerous sensitive usage patterns and user behaviours, highlighting vulnerabilities that persist despite encryption in the upper layers. The findings indicate that the standard Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) security protocols commonly employed in smart devices may be inadequate for protecting the sensitive information of IoT-connected devices, owing to their inherent plug-and-play nature. To address these security gaps, this paper proposes a vulnerability risk score model that assesses the vulnerability risks of IoT devices and determines their severity. Thus enhancing the overall security of IoT devices and the user privacy.