De Vector

Loxone reports cyberattack: manufacturer says smart homes remain operational

The manufacturer says the attack affected internal company systems and did not shut down the installations themselves.

Smart-home manufacturer Loxone says it detected a cyberattack on internal company systems on Sunday. According to the company, existing Loxone installations continue to operate without restriction because their control systems work locally.

Loxone reports a cyberattack on internal systems. The company says it is investigating what happened together with external security specialists and forensic investigators. The report of an attack on internal systems does not in itself make clear who the attackers are or how extensive the potential damage is.

According to the manufacturer, Loxone installations remain active. An installation’s central Miniserver works locally and independently of Loxone’s services, using its own access credentials. As a result, homes and buildings should retain their existing automation, even if certain online services from the manufacturer are temporarily unavailable.

That distinction is important in smart homes. A system may have components that continue to work locally, such as lighting, heating or blinds, while remote management, updates or links to cloud services are temporarily unavailable. The fact that installations continue to work, according to Loxone, does not in itself guarantee the availability of all associated online services.

The company says it discovered the attack on 18 October. The public statement describes the incident as an attack on the internal corporate environment. It does not say that customer installations were taken over, that users’ passwords were stolen or that personal data was published.

An independent discussion of the statement likewise points to the difference between the internal IT environment and the local control of installations. That does not alter the fact that an attack on the corporate environment could affect, for example, support, software distribution, account management or the availability of online services.

For installers and administrators, the uncertainty about the scope is especially important. Above all, they want to know whether Loxone will later report that data was accessed or that customers need to take action.

The case shows that a locally operating system is not the same as a completely independent system. Local control can protect the immediate operation of an installation, but the availability of updates, cloud connections and security communications may also matter to users. More technical information from Loxone could help assess the consequences of the attack.

Respond to this article

← Back to the edition