Empirical Investigation of IoT Security Vulnerabilities in Smart Home Deployments in Nigerian Urban Households

Smart home IoT device adoption is growing among middle- and upper-income households in Nigerian cities, but the security posture of these deployments is a significant concern given the devices' potential role as entry points for network intrusion and data exfiltration. This study empirically investigates IoT security vulnerabilities in smart home deployments in urban households in Lagos and Abuja. With informed consent, a vulnerability assessment was conducted on 45 smart home deployments across the two cities, using non-invasive network scanning (Nmap, Shodan), default credential testing, firmware version analysis, and unencrypted traffic inspection using Wireshark. Devices assessed included smart speakers, IP cameras, smart plugs, door locks, and home automation hubs. Results indicate that 78 percent of assessed deployments contained at least one device with a known CVE vulnerability. Default credential retention was confirmed in 64 percent of IP cameras and 52 percent of smart plugs. Unencrypted MQTT traffic was detected in 38 percent of deployments. Outdated firmware (more than 12 months behind current release) was found in 67 percent of devices. Over-the-air update functionality was disabled in 43 percent of devices with update capability. Only 23 percent of households had segregated IoT VLANs. The study fills an empirical gap in IoT security research for Nigerian home environments and recommends mandatory minimum security standards for IoT devices sold in Nigeria, enforceable by the NCC and SON.

Keywords: IoT security, smart home, vulnerability assessment, Nigeria, network security