Your Smart Device Still Works. But Who Is Still Protecting It?
Smart devices can continue working long after the software supporting them stops receiving attention. New research into thousands of abandoned IoT apps reveals why an aging connected device deserves a second look.
9/1/20262 min read
Is Your Smart Home Quietly Becoming a Security Risk?
Your smart camera works. Your connected appliance responds. The app still opens.
Everything seems fine.
But there is another question worth asking:
Is the technology behind it still being maintained?
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently analyzed 61,500 Android companion apps associated with Internet of Things devices. The apps had either gone at least two years without an update or were no longer in service as of March 2025.
Researchers identified at least one of the security risks they studied in 73.6% of the dataset.
The Device Can Outlive Its Support
Connected products are more than the hardware sitting in your home or business.
They can depend on mobile apps, software libraries, internet domains, cloud infrastructure and outside services.
The researchers found issues including outdated software dependencies associated with reported vulnerabilities, domains at risk of takeover or data exposure, and sensitive data flows involving broken or potentially hijackable external endpoints.
Thirty of the 1,000 most installed abandoned apps were found sending data to broken external endpoints.
That does not mean every abandoned smart device has been compromised.
It does mean a device continuing to function is not proof that the software ecosystem behind it remains secure.
Look Beyond the Purchase Price
Before buying another smart camera, thermostat, appliance or other connected product, consider something we rarely see prominently displayed on the box:
How long will the manufacturer support it?
For devices you already own, periodically check for firmware and app updates. Review whether the manufacturer still supports the product. Remove unused devices from your network and delete companion apps and accounts you no longer need.
The researchers also acknowledge limitations in their analysis, including the possibility of false positives. Their findings should therefore be viewed as evidence of potential security exposure across abandoned software, not proof that every flagged application is actively exploitable.
Working Is Not the Same as Protected
Connected technology can remain physically useful for years.
Its security support may not last nearly as long.
That distinction is becoming increasingly important as more of the devices surrounding us depend on software and services we cannot see.
Your smart device may still be working.
Make sure someone is still looking after what keeps it connected.
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