Bitdefender today released new joint research with NETGEAR titled the 2025 IoT Security Landscape Report, providing a comprehensive analysis of the growing threats targeting connected devices in modern homes. The research highlights how the expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, spanning everything from smart TVs and streaming boxes to routers and cameras, has dramatically increased consumer exposure to automated cyberattacks and large-scale exploitation.

Based on telemetry from millions of smart homes across multiple continents, the report found that the average household now contains 22 connected devices and is subjected to nearly 29 attacks each day, almost triple the rate recorded last year. This surge highlights how attackers are increasingly leveraging automation, insecure firmware, and outdated devices to compromise digital households at scale.

“The explosion of connected devices has transformed homes into complex digital ecosystems, but it’s also made every lightbulb, camera, and router a potential target,” said Ciprian Istrate, senior vice president of Operations at Bitdefender Consumer Solutions Group. “Our research with NETGEAR shows that IoT security can no longer be treated as optional. Protection has to start at the network level, inside routers, gateways, and even at the ISP edge to stay ahead of increasingly automated and industrial-scale attacks.”

The 2025 IoT Security Landscape Report leverages telemetry from more than 6.1 million smart homes across North America, Europe, and Australia. From January through October 2025, Bitdefender researchers analysed 13.6 billion IoT attacks and 4.6 billion vulnerability exploitation attempts to deliver a detailed snapshot of global IoT risk. The report also highlights several landmark incidents shaping IoT security in 2025, including the record-breaking 22.2 Terabytes per second DDoS powered by compromised routers, the spread of BadBox, a botnet infecting over a million Android-based devices before leaving the factory, and the discovery that solar inverters could be hijacked to disrupt national power grids.

Key findings from the 2025 IoT Security Landscape Report include:

• Connected households are under constant attack – The average household now has 22 connected devices and faces an average of 29 attacks per day, up sharply from 10 attacks in 2024. This growth illustrates how greater connectivity and device vulnerabilities have created opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit home networks.
• Entertainment devices are most vulnerable – Streaming devices (25.9%), smart TVs (21.3%), and IP cameras (8.6%) are the most frequently targeted, collectively representing over half of all detected IoT vulnerabilities. These everyday devices are often left unpatched or rarely updated, making them easy entry points for attackers.
• Known vulnerabilities remain the biggest risk – Nearly all (99.4%) IoT exploits target already known and fixed Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), reinforcing that timely patching and proactive device management remain among the most effective defences against compromise.
• Mobile devices dominate the home IoT ecosystem – Mobile phones account for 19.6% of connected endpoints, followed by smart TVs (9.5%) and streaming devices (7.3%). This finding shows how smartphones have become the central hub within the connected home.
• Basic attacks remain most effective – Overflow and Denial-of-Service attacks make up most IoT exploit outcomes, while privilege escalation and code execution attacks allow cybercriminals to seize full control of targeted devices.

“Connectivity is no longer just about speed and coverage, but also about trust,” said Jonathan Oakes, senior vice president and general manager of Home Networking at NETGEAR. “The router sits at the heart of every digital home, offering protection at the point where it matters most – the network itself. Security can’t be an afterthought; it must be built in from the start.”

Bitdefender and NETGEAR continue to address these challenges through NETGEAR Armor™ powered by Bitdefender®, a built-in security platform available on Nighthawk routers and Orbi Mesh Wi-Fi systems. Armor helps detect and block known and emerging threats, identify vulnerabilities, and safeguard users against phishing, data theft, and other attacks – helping families maintain a safer, more resilient smart home environment.

To download a copy of the full 2025 IoT Security Landscape Report, visit here.