Smart Home Security: What to Check on TVs, Smart Plugs and Network Drives

The television still looks great. The plug behind the bookshelf still turns on the lamp. And the box in the closet still holds years of photos.

You might not know when any of them last received a security update.

Overview

The report counted observations, not hacked households

Bitdefender and NETGEAR examined data from roughly 10.4 million protected home routers between January and September 2026. TVs, smart plugs and network storage stood out.

Together they accounted for about two-thirds of the vulnerability observations in the report summary. That doesn’t mean two-thirds of these devices had been hacked.

An observation is a recorded match with a known weakness. Repeated observations can involve the same device, and the sample doesn’t represent every home network.

Three devices, three reasons to pay attention

A TV can keep working well after its software stops getting fixes. It might also run apps you installed once and forgot about.

A smart plug looks simple from the outside. Once it’s on your network, its software and account still need updates and protection.

A network-attached storage device, often called a NAS, might be the only place you keep family photos or project files. That makes its settings especially important.

What deserves a look first

• Check whether your router and the three device types still receive updates for their exact models.
• Review access from outside the house, especially for storage devices and any system that lets you manage the network remotely.
• Make sure important files have a backup that isn’t always writable from the same devices that use them.

You don’t need to replace everything that connects to Wi-Fi. Start with equipment that holds something irreplaceable, controls something important, or is reachable from the internet.

What the Numbers Can Tell You About Your Own Home

A large category isn’t a diagnosis for your model

The report’s leading categories were close together. That doesn’t rank any particular television, plug or network drive against a model from a different company.

If you want to know whether your model is affected by a published issue, match the product label and current firmware to the manufacturer’s support notice.

A family name on a box might cover several hardware revisions. A support page for the latest revision may not list the correct update for yours.

Don’t install a download merely because its filename contains the right brand. Find it through the device’s built-in updater or the manufacturer’s instructions for your revision.

Network activity isn’t the same as a break-in

Most attack-category events in the report were scans. They are automated checks for services that answer on an internet address, not a count of successful compromises.

That distinction matters if a router shows a frightening number. A blocked attempt doesn’t call for the same response as an unknown login or a changed setting.

Ask what the event actually says: was it blocked, did a login succeed, or did the router simply notice a connection attempt? Save the wording before reacting.

An unexpected administrator account, a changed remote-access setting or missing files deserves a closer look. A scan count alone doesn’t tell you any of those things happened.

A device can be working as sold and still deserve a privacy review

The researchers also discuss third-party software that can route internet traffic through participating homes. This isn’t the same thing as someone exploiting a security hole.

You may see data collection, ad settings, or connection sharing described in an app’s terms. Look for what the setting actually controls instead of relying on its name.

An opt-out that limits ad personalization might not turn off all data collection. Read the maker’s explanation before assuming the same switch covers viewing data and voice features.

Keep the distinction clear when helping someone else. A privacy setting, a security update and an incident report solve different problems.

Give Each Device a Different Check

Start at the TV, not the app store

Find the model and current software version in the TV’s settings. Check the manufacturer’s support page for updates and any note about the model’s support period.

While you’re there, remove apps you no longer watch. Review the privacy and microphone options that apply to the apps and features you still use.

If the TV is unsupported but still makes a fine display, consider disconnecting its network access. A separately supported streaming device may cover the services you want.

Check what you would lose before unplugging it. A household member may use a built-in feature you haven’t thought about.

Look at the plug’s job before you change its network

Check which app manages the plug and whether that app or the plug offers an update. Keep track of the exact model rather than just the room name.

If the plug is needed for an important routine, don’t reset it without checking how to restore the schedule. The security change shouldn’t break something the household relies on.

Some routers offer a separate network for smart devices. Test whether schedules and controls still work after moving a plug, and confirm what the network actually isolates.

For a simple lamp, a conventional timer may make more sense than keeping an unsupported Wi-Fi plug online. You don’t need a connected replacement for every device.

A storage box needs both an access review and a separate backup

List who can sign in, which shared folders they can write to, and whether the device is reachable from outside the home. Start with administrator access.

If nobody needs remote access, use the manufacturer’s instructions to turn it off. Check the router for old forwarding rules that were created for it.

If remote access is important, ask the vendor or the person maintaining the network to check the supported setup. Don’t open a management page to the internet for convenience.

A mirror keeps another disk available if a drive fails. It doesn’t necessarily save you when a file is deleted or changed on both copies.

Keep an independent copy of important files, and try opening a few from it. An untested backup is a poor surprise when the main copy disappears.

Check more than the filename. Open a photo at full size or read a recent document so you know the backup contains the data you need.

Use the Router to Check the Whole Household

Identify devices before blocking them

Open the router’s known app or management page. Give recognizable devices useful names while you can still check what each one is.

One unknown entry may be a guest device or a phone using a private Wi-Fi address. Check dates and ask people at home before assuming someone broke in.

Don’t post your router’s device list online without checking it first. Names and connection details may reveal more about your household than you intended.

Remove old access rules only after checking what uses them

Review settings for remote administration, port forwarding and automatic port mapping. If you don’t recognize a setting, identify who configured it and what depends on it.

Rules for devices you no longer own are a sensible place to start. If you’re managing somebody else’s router, record current settings before making a change.

If you use a guest or smart-device network, check whether its settings really separate those devices from family laptops and storage. A different network name doesn’t guarantee isolation.

After making a change, test the things you expect to work. For example, check whether the family can still reach the photo library from the intended devices.

Make updates a shopping question

Before buying a new connected device, check how to update it and whether the manufacturer states how long it will supply fixes.

Read what still works without the cloud service or the app. A plug you can control locally and one that needs a company account have different dependencies.

If two products do the same job, choose the one with clearer support and fewer unnecessary connections. A low price doesn’t compensate for a device you can’t maintain.

Make a Short Inventory You Can Actually Keep Up

Use the router’s current device list as a starting point, then walk around the home. Devices that are asleep or unplugged might not appear in the list.

For each connected item, record its model, who manages it and whether it still needs internet access. Keep passwords in a password manager, not the inventory.

Write down where updates come from. A storage device might update through its own administration panel, while a smart plug relies on the manufacturer’s phone app.

Mark which devices hold data you couldn’t replace. A router outage is inconvenient, but losing years of photos without a backup is a different kind of problem.

Record any access you intentionally enabled from outside the home. That gives you something to compare against later, instead of trying to remember why a setting is on.

If you’re preparing to replace a device, think about how to remove it from the old account as well as the network. Follow the maker’s retirement instructions.

On a storage device, confirm the files exist in the new location before wiping the old drive. Don’t let a hardware upgrade erase the only copy.

If a room has several similar smart plugs, label them before moving them. Matching the app name to a physical plug saves guesswork when you’re checking an alert.

Review the list after moving home or replacing the router. It’s a good chance to leave unused devices offline instead of reconnecting them automatically.

Start with a small list rather than trying to log every phone that has ever visited. Permanent household equipment is the part you need to maintain.

If you can’t find security support information for an important device, ask the manufacturer for the exact model. A current sales page isn’t an update policy.

For an older device that still works offline, try that option before shopping. The right result may be keeping the useful hardware and removing the connection.

What to Do If You’re Worried About a Device on Your Network

1. Find the exact device and firmware. Note the model, hardware revision and installed version before searching the manufacturer’s support materials.
2. Start with the highest-consequence device. Check the router and any network storage with important files before working through less critical gadgets.
3. Install official updates. Use the manufacturer’s documented path, and enable automatic security updates where the device offers them and the setting makes sense.
4. Review remote access. Remove unused access after checking its purpose. Ask your router provider or device vendor for help if you aren’t sure which setting matters.
5. Check the backup independently. Verify that you can restore files from a copy kept separately from the storage device and its normal write access.
6. Respond to actual changes. If you see an unexpected account, login, or configuration, document it and contact the vendor or your IT support from a trusted device.
7. Disconnect when appropriate. Take a suspect device off the network if safe, especially if files are changing or you cannot secure it. Preserve the logs you may need.
8. Retire unsupported gear sensibly. Keep a capable display offline if possible, or replace a device that needs a network connection but can’t get security fixes.

An unexplained file change is a reason to stop and check before restoring anything. Overwriting the affected files or resetting the storage device may remove information you need.

If you rely on a device for a critical function, confirm that disconnecting it won’t create a different risk. Get advice before changing equipment you don’t manage.

For a shared or business network, involve the person responsible for it. A home checklist isn’t permission to change the router at work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the report find that two-thirds of home devices were infected?

No. The figure describes the share of vulnerability observations attributed to three device categories in the report’s sample, not the share of infected devices.

Should I throw out a TV that no longer gets updates?

Not necessarily. If it still works as a display, you may be able to use it offline and use a supported external device for streaming.

Can I keep using a smart plug without an account?

That depends on its model and features. Check which controls work locally and which need the maker’s app or cloud service.

Is a second drive in my network storage a backup?

It may provide redundancy against drive failure. It isn’t a substitute for a separate backup that protects against deletion, damage or unwanted changes to shared files.

Does seeing scans mean somebody got into the house network?

No. Scans look for responding services. Check whether the report says anything actually connected, logged in or changed before treating it as a compromise.

Is a separate Wi-Fi network enough to protect my devices?

It’s useful only if it provides the isolation you intend. Test that the devices you moved cannot reach the systems you’re trying to protect.

The Bottom Line

Check updates and remote access on the router and network storage first. Then look at older televisions and plugs you can keep offline or replace when support ends.

If you see a real change you didn’t authorize, preserve the details and get support for that device. Don’t diagnose a break-in from a headline or scan count.