With the popularity of home automation and smart appliances rising, the question has arisen: Are smart home gadgets and devices really safer than their connected counterparts?

The answer is a resounding “yes.”

According to a recent report from security company Trend Micro, smart home security devices are much more vulnerable than their wired counterparts.

For starters, the security of connected devices depends on the hardware and software inside them, as well as their configuration.

The same can be said for the security posture of connected home appliances.

In fact, Trend Micro says smart home products and devices can be used as cyber weapons against a host of security systems.

In this post, we’re going to break down the latest findings on these and other security issues related to connected devices.

Trend Micro’s report, which was based on analysis of devices sold in 2016 and 2017, found that smart home-connected devices were more likely to be targeted by malicious software and spyware than their non-connected counterparts.

“We found that most of the connected home security products and appliances were targeted by malware and spy software, and more likely than not, were compromised,” the report reads.

“For the most part, connected home devices were susceptible to the same kinds of threats as the connected devices they replaced, such as viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, and malware-enabled devices.”

The report’s authors noted that the same threats were present for connected home accessories and appliances as well.

“Our analysis found that almost all connected home products were susceptible of the same types of malware and malware threat scenarios, such that some of them were compromised by malware, and some of the accessories and other connected home gadgets were vulnerable to a very similar set of malware threats,” the researchers wrote.

TrendMicro also found that connected home equipment was more vulnerable to being compromised by hackers.

“The devices are less likely to run on an operating system, which is one of the most vulnerable points in terms of cyber security,” Trend Micro’s researchers wrote, “and more likely, to run a subset of malware on them.”

Trend Micro has a wide range of products, including security cameras, thermostats, smart locks, security locks, and a wide array of smart home equipment.

It has also created a dedicated section on its website dedicated to smart home and smart-home-connected security devices.

If you have a connected home, consider protecting your device against cyber attacks.