Project Description

This project will investigate the forensic analysis and security of devices commonly found in modern smart homes, including smart home hubs, a range of peripheral IoT sensors, and smart cameras. These systems often combine open-source and closed-source software, operate on wireless protocols, and store or transmit sensitive information, making them an important area for digital forensics and security research. The student will examine how forensic artefacts are generated, stored, and transmitted across different smart home devices. This includes analysing evidence from hubs (e.g., logs, configuration files, traffic patterns), sensors (e.g., motion, temperature, door sensors), and cameras (e.g., recorded footage, metadata, network activity). The project will also compare the forensic opportunities and challenges posed by devices running open-source firmware versus those using closed commercial platforms.

Potential activities

Capturing and analysing network traffic between smart home hubs, sensors, and cloud services Identifying forensic artefacts stored locally on hubs, sensors, or companion apps Comparing closed-source ecosystem devices (e.g. TP Link tapo H500) with open-source systems (e.g. Home assistant green) Evaluating the forensic relevance of smart camera footage, metadata, motion logs, and cloud-sync behaviour Investigating vulnerabilities such as default passwords, unencrypted protocols, misconfiguration, or outdated firmware Building a small testbed smart home environment to simulate a security incident and demonstrate forensic acquisition

Potential Outcomes

A clear forensic methodology for analysing smart home hubs, sensors, and cameras A comparison of forensic opportunities across open-source and closed-source devices An evaluation of the security weaknesses identified during testing Practical recommendations for improving forensic readiness and security in consumer smart home environments