Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the big things that have happened in recent times. Due to its growing popularity, tech companies are now focused on creating an ecosystem of products that can be interconnected and controlled right from a smartphone. However, we may have cause to change the name to “Internet of Troubles” next year.
A security researcher and consultant Scott Helme has raised an alarm about the impending issue that may plague a number of gadgets from next year. He told The Register that a lot of smart home and IoT gadgets are going to break down within the next 12 months. These gadgets range from smart TV, set-top box, smart refrigerator and even old Android phones which might lose most of its internet connections in the next year or two.
The reason for the potential failures is that the Certificate Authority root security certificates built into many smart-home and Internet of Things devices are beginning to expire. Such certificates make it possible for digital devices to establish secure online connections with servers. With a move to secure internet connections for almost all internet connections these days, the scale of potentially affected devices looks massive.
The good thing is that these root certificates can be renewed with firmware updates. Sadly, not all of these gadgets get any form of software updates after installation. Also, not all of the gadgets have a companion app or admin interface. Again, most Chinese manufacturers do not offer any form of software supports for their gadgets. So, a day might come when the gadgets may just stop working. 
The security researcher also disclosed that several CA Root Certificates are expiring in the next few years. The Root CA certificates usually have a license duration of 20+ years. Thus, since it has been 20+ years since the encrypted Web really started up, it means that most of the certificates have run their full cause and needs renewal.
At this point, it becomes imperative that buyers check for the expiry date of the CA Root Certificates of any smart home/IoT gadget they are buying. Even gadgets that don’t often connect to the internet should be Vetted for expiring/ expired certificates.
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