Your “Smart” Devices are Open Doors: Critical Flaws in Thermostats, Cameras, & Smart TVs Expose Networks to Attack

Smart devices within a network are no longer mere assistants — they are potential adversaries. With every internet-connected thermostat or television, a new fissure emerges in the digital infrastructure. This truth is underscored by a newly uncovered critical vulnerability affecting the widely deployed Network Thermostat X-Series WiFi thermostats. Rated 9.8 out of 10 on the CVSS scale, the flaw renders these devices defenseless if exposed to the internet — and even behind a firewall, they may serve as entry points into corporate or industrial networks.

According to cybersecurity expert Souvik Kandar of MicroSec, the thermostats’ embedded web server requires no authentication. An attacker only needs access to the same network or port forwarding to reset credentials and seize full control. This scenario is all too plausible, especially in an era where IoT devices rarely receive updates and are often left unsupervised.

This is hardly the first attack on thermostats. Last year, similar threats surfaced in Bosch devices that allowed arbitrary firmware uploads, leading to total system compromise. The root of the problem lies in IoT architecture itself: such devices lack default security and are increasingly found in critical environments — from office buildings to industrial plants — making them convenient springboards for larger attacks.

In the same report, MicroSec revealed another alarming vulnerability — this time in LG Innotek surveillance systems. The outdated LNV5110R model, still in active use across commercial properties despite being unsupported, allows unauthenticated remote code execution. By submitting a specially crafted HTTP POST request to the camera’s non-volatile memory, an attacker can seize administrative control, enabling covert surveillance, Trojan deployment, or lateral movement across network segments.

Yet, Kandar asserts, these aren’t even the weakest links. He warns that Smart TVs, particularly Android-based models, are the true Achilles’ heel of modern infrastructure. Most come with exposed ADB debug ports, lacking even basic password protection or warnings. These televisions are ubiquitous — in conference rooms, hospital wards, airport lounges, and even server rooms. Remote hijacking is not theoretical; proof-of-concept demonstrations are already public on YouTube. Through a compromised TV, an attacker can not only view screen content but also launch broad-scale attacks across the local network.

Kandar — credited with 21 CVE disclosures — draws a chilling conclusion: IoT devices are not just risks, but active, insidious attack vectors. Often implicitly trusted by systems, seldom updated, and generally unnoticed when breached, they pose dangers that remain hidden until irreparable damage is done.

Bitdefender, also involved in threat monitoring, strongly advises isolating all IoT devices from core networks, ideally placing them behind VLANs or on separate routers. Direct internet access should be eliminated entirely. Even VPNs — commonly used for secure remote access — may become liabilities if misconfigured or outdated. As CISA notes, the true security of a VPN lies not in its encryption, but in the integrity of the connected hardware.

While CISA has yet to observe these specific vulnerabilities exploited in the wild, it’s merely a matter of time. The agency urges immediate steps to reduce the network visibility of all industrial and IoT devices, block external access, and permit secure communications only when absolutely necessary. These are not mere suggestions — they are survival directives.