Hacker Delivers 'Unwanted Christmas Cards' to Highlight the Importance of Updating Smart Devices

91% of Dutch households own one or more smart devices like a Smart TV or smart thermostat. However, only half of Dutch people say that they do their updates on a regular basis. To make Dutch people more aware of the importance of updating, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is running the campaign ‘Do your updates’. This time, an ethical hacker tries to break into the network of numerous households…

Christmas card you don’t want to receive.

The ethical hacker went around in the Netherlands and tried to intrude people’s network through their seemingly secured devices. Beforehand, households gave permission to the hacker to test their network and devices for security. Every time a break-in was successful, he would print the Unwanted Christmas Card with tips to improve your cyber security.

“It was nice to make people more aware of the possible security risks in this playful way,” says the ethical hacker. “You often see in the news that businesses are being hacked, but this could also happen to you personally. In the houses where we succeeded, you could really see the disbelief on the residents’ faces. Luckily, there were also people who did all their updates, and we didn’t succeed to break into their network and print an Unwanted Christmas Card. Whether it’s a business or household, it’s important to do your updates regularly.”

Prevent a hack, Do the Update-Check

The campaign, created by DOT (D&B, Open Now and TBWA\NEBOKO), makes Dutch people aware of the risks of poorly secured smart devices with the slogan ‘Prevent a hack. Do the Update-Check’. The Update-Check is a checklist that consumers can use to see what smart devices they have in their home. It also gives a step-by-step explanation on how to update each of the devices. The Update-Check can be found on doejeupdates.nl (in Dutch).

The campaign was rolled out through PR, radio, online video, display and advertorial.

Disclaimer: All hacks really took place. The households gave permission before the hacks were conducted.