Our smart temperature control was hacked
It was a cold winter night.
My wife and I were snuggled up in bed, enjoying the warmth from our trusty wireless temperature control, but as the night wore on, we noticed something strange.
Even though the temperature control was set to a comfortable level, the temperature was dropping. We tried changing the temperature control, but nothing seemed to work. The temperature continued to drop, and soon we were shivering under the covers. That’s when we heard a noise coming from the thermostat. It was a low hum, soft like a whisper. We could not figure out what was wrong with the temperature control, so we decided to call an HVAC service worker to take a look. When he arrived, he took a short look at the temperature control, and started laughing. “What’s so funny?” I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Well, it looks like your temperature control has been hacked,” the technician said, still chuckling. “Someone has been sending signals to lower the temperature in your room.” My wife and I were stunned. Who would want to mess with our temperature control, and why? Wireless temperature controls are vulnerable to hacking if they are not respectfully secured, he explained then he quickly fixed the problem and advocated for us to change our Wi-Fi password. He suggested enabling several-factor authentication on our home devices. We snuggled back into bed, relieved that our temperature control was finally working respectfully. She and I felt a little creeped out. Who knows what other smart devices in our lake apartment could be vulnerable to hacking? It was a different and unsettling reminder of just how much technology has become a part of our lives.