A new global research, conducted by Kaspersky, explores the main digital habits, barriers and use of smart home devices, revealing that there is a gap between those involved in the management and purchase of smart devices at home. In particular, 72% of men are responsible for installing smart devices at home, compared to just under half (47%) of women.
According to an analysis of the digital market, the number of homes with active smart home devices is expected to reach 573.7 million users by 2026, with an expected penetration of 25%.
The results of the Kaspersky survey indicate that it is men (75%) who take care of the family’s smart devices more often, compared to 50% of women. This also happens when you need to change your router’s Wi-Fi settings or add new devices to your network. The situation is almost the same when it comes to installing software and applications on computers: 72% of men are responsible for this, compared to 47% of women.
The trend is changing with regard to children’s digital habits. Research data shows that both parents (67% men and 54% women) are equally willing to control how much time their kids spend on devices.
“Smart home devices and solutions can significantly improve and facilitate daily activities. Each family independently decides how to distribute roles more adequately. At the same time, the key point is that modern smart devices and security solutions must be accessible to all, regardless of gender and age”, commented Marina Titova, Vice-President, Consumer Product Marketing di Kaspersky.
To protect all smart devices, Kaspersky experts recommend:
- Do not buy second-hand smart home devices, their firmware may have been modified by previous owners to allow cybercriminals to control users’ smart home ecosystems.
- Don’t forget to change your default password – it’s important to use a strong password and update it regularly.
- Secure your network by keeping serial numbers, IP addresses, and other sensitive information confidential. Do not share users’ smart devices on social networks.
- Install a reliable security solution to protect the entire smart home ecosystem.
- Stay up-to-date on the latest updates and vulnerability discovery after choosing a particular application or device. Promptly install all updates released by the developers.
Kaspersky commissioned Arlington Research to carry out an online quantitative research with 21,645 smart home device owners in 21 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Russia, Turkey, France, Countries Netherlands, Portugal, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Peru, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.