About 28% of dwellings in Romania located in urban areas have at least four intelligent devices connected to the Internet, according to a study by Romanian anti-virus producer Bitdefender.

The smart devices used by the families interviewed in this study include the traditional laptops, tablets, phones and PCs, as well as new generation devices such as smart TVs, smartwatches, wireless thermostats, webcams, home access systems, gaming consoles, refrigerators, washing machines and Internet connected air conditioners, switches and lighting, sockets or motion sensors.

The smart TV is present in one out of three urban homes in Romania, being one of the most popular smart devices, after smartphones, laptops and tablets, but also the most used connected device. Four out of ten smart TV owners said they use the device to browse the Internet in addition to watching cable TV, but less than one-third use a security solution to protect them from cyber threats, the Bitdefender study revealed.

Moreover, although they use a smart TV daily, half of the owners said they have never updated their operating system, most of them claiming they have no time (40%), don’t know how (23%) or do not understand the point of these updates (18%). In the absence of any form of protection, smart TVs are prone to numerous security risks, including personal data theft, privacy invasion or cross-border IT attacks, Bitdefender warns. For example, a ransomware infection blocks the TV screen and asks the victim for money to resume optimal operation. Also, the attackers who find a vulnerable TV can take control of it and can use the sensors in the device (microphone or camera) to collect sound and image from the owner's home.

According to a previous study, 46% of Romanians are worried that a potential attacker could take control of the intelligent devices they use on a daily basis.

The study was carried out in 2017 by iSense Solutions, at the request of Bitdefender, on a representative sample of 311 respondents in Romania.

Romanian TV market up with more room to grow

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com