A growing number of devices in our homes, such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and toasters, are connected to the internet.

Those connections promise convenience, such as software updates that can improve the product’s performance. But they also pose security challenges for consumers.

Last year, thousands of internet connected devices such as cameras and digital video recorders were infected with malware and used to bombard Dyn, a provider of internet directory services, with requests for connections, taking down a number of popular websites.

Read the full article by Deborah Gage on the Wall Street Journal