Issues To Keep In Mind When Disposing Of IoT Devices

Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming more prevalent in the cleaning industry as companies look to take advantage of the technology’s ability to capture real-time data and use it to better service customers. However, some aspects of IoT, like the safety of that data, is a concern for some. This issue is highlighted by research suggesting hackers can get their hands on the data if the proper measures are not taken.

“Privacy leaks in smart devices: Extracting data from used smart home devices,” is research recently shared at a gathering of security experts. According to Voxy, the research found that consumers are not properly wiping away the data stored on IoT devices when they dispose of them. This data can include things like WiFi credentials and user information. It can also include information pertaining to the certain device and how it was used. For example, vacuum cleaning robot store maps of the routes they take during cleaning, the history of their cleaning practices and log files.

One of those involved in the research, Dennis Giese, a cyber researcher and doctoral student, found that the majority of IoT devices have poor factory reset procedures. He says that when a user implements a factory reset of their device before recycling or selling the device, that majority of that data will stay on the device more times than not.

There are other challenges with IoT that more directly relate to the cleaning industry. Several of those changes were touched on in a roundtable discussion of Contracting Profits’ advisory board. That discussion can be read here.