Human-centric security for smart homes: A scoping review
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Smart home technologies, like cameras, door locks, and speakers, are increasingly used in our everyday lives. However, their continuous data collection and internet connectivity pose various security risks. While research on smart home security has mainly focused on technological aspects, human experience and societal factors also play a crucial role. Various human and social factors, such as user experience with smart home devices, security design processes, and government regulations, are intertwined and influence each other, affecting smart home security. It is therefore important to understand and consider these interconnected factors in technology design to secure homes that contain increasingly connected devices. This scoping review provides an overview of current human-centered studies (N=102) on smart home security, which aims to help researchers and practitioners better navigate this field. We present a conceptual framework that outlines key challenges in ensuring smart home security with a synthesis of insights on contributing human factors. We then summarize general security design principles and map existing user-centred security approaches in smart homes, and highlight research directions for future investigation. Beyond mapping existing studies, the review reveals a growing emphasis on engaging multiple stakeholders, especially smart home users, in shaping human-centered security.
Source: Computers & Security
Authors: Wanling Cai, Liliana Pasquale, Kushal Ramkumar, John McCarthy, Bashar Nuseibeh, Gavin Doherty
Language: English
Topic: IoT-based Smart Home Systems
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,100
Award: Lero_Phase 2
OpenAlex ID: W4416410517