That smart coffee maker might make mornings a touch easier, but these appliances often ship with default settings and unsecured WiFi, making them vulnerable entry points.

In 2019, a ‘white hat’ hacker (one who works to improve cybersecurity) took over a smart coffee maker and was able to “turn on the burner, dispense water, spin the bean grinder, and display a ransom message, all while beeping repeatedly.” What’s worse, he was able to turn it into a ransomware machine.

To stay safe, change default passwords, install firmware updates, disable unused features, and isolate the coffee maker on a guest network.

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