Homes are no longer just a physical space, but also a digital one. Televisions, speakers, security cameras, routers, consoles or thermostats make up an interconnected ecosystem that promises comfort, but also exposes millions of users to new risks. Latest IoT Security Landscape Report 2025prepared by bitdefender in collaboration with NETGEARreveals a worrying reality, that of a domestic environment that is increasingly vulnerable to automated cyberattacks.
According to the report’s data, the average household already has 22 connected devices and receives an average of 29 attacks dailyalmost triple that of the previous year. The evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought with it an avalanche of threats that not only target privacy, but also the stability of home networks and the security of personal information.
An increasingly exposed ecosystem
The research, based on telemetry from more than 6.1 million smart homes in North America, Europe and Australia, shows that cybercriminals are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to exploit known vulnerabilities in everyday devices. From televisions to IP cameras, most of the attacks detected do not take advantage of new gaps, but rather already identified errors that users or manufacturers have not corrected.
“The explosion of connected devices has transformed homes into complex digital ecosystems, but it has also turned every light bulb, camera or router into a possible target”explains Ciprian IstrateSenior Vice President of Operations at Bitdefender Consumer Solutions Group. He adds that IoT security “can no longer be considered optional“, and that protection must begin “at the network level itself, in routers and gateways, to anticipate increasingly automated and industrial-scale attacks”.
The evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought with it an avalanche of threats that not only target privacy, but also the stability of home networks and the security of personal information.
Entertainment devices, the Achilles heel of the IoT
The study reveals that entertainment devices account for more than half of the vulnerabilities detected. Streaming players (25.9%), smart TVs (21.3%) and IP cameras (8.6%) are the main entry points for attackers. In most cases, these devices remain unupdated for months, making it easy to exploit security holes.
The research also identifies that 99.4% of attacks They exploit known vulnerabilities (CVE), a figure that underlines the lack of maintenance and active management of the devices. This makes the connected home fertile ground for massive malware and botnet campaigns, such as BadBoxwhich infected more than a million Android devices before leaving the factory.
The router, first line of defense
One of the most significant findings of the report is that the router, the heart of the digital home, has become a critical point for security. “Connectivity is no longer just about speed or coverage, but also about trust“, he states Jonathan Oakessenior vice president and general manager of Home Networking at NETGEAR. According to the manager, “security cannot be an afterthought; must be integrated from the beginning”.
In response to this need, Bitdefender and NETGEAR are committed to solutions such as NETGEAR Armorpowered by Bitdefender technology. This integrated platform allows you to detect and block threats, identify vulnerabilities and protect against phishing attacks or data theft. Armor is available on routers nighthawkand the systems Orbi Mesh WiFireinforcing security from the network itself.
Next generation threats
The report details incidents that shaped the outlook for 2025, such as a record DDoS attack of 22.2 terabytes per second executed through compromised routers, or the detection of failures in solar inverters that could be manipulated to affect electrical infrastructures. These trends reflect how attackers are expanding their field of action towards emerging technologies essential for the functioning of the home and the connected city.
In this context, automation and artificial intelligence are also being used by cybercriminals to scale their attacks and execute coordinated actions on a large scale. This poses an additional challenge for defense systems, which must evolve at the same pace as offensive mechanisms.
