Your smart home exchanged 3M messages: defining and analyzing smart device passive mode

Abstract

The constant connectedness of smart home devices and their sensing capabilities pose a unique threat to individuals’ privacy. While users may expect devices to exhibit minimal activity while they are not performing their intended functions, this is not necessarily the case, and traditional idle mode designations are insufficient to address the current landscape of smart home devices. To address this we propose a passive mode designation based on a comprehensive categorization of smart home devices. We then measure the network traffic of thirty-two devices in their respective passive modes. We find that 97% of the devices exhibit near-constant network activity in these modes (exchanging over 3M messages in 24 hours), with many of the devices initiating and responding to LAN communications with other devices, which potentially exposes users to privacy leakages.