By Adam Parris-Long, News Reporter

As UK security agencies warn that digital attacks are happening on "a scale and boldness not seen before", Sky News takes a look at the devices and networks which are at risk of being targeted by hackers.

Fridges

Image: A demonstrator shows off a Samsung smart fridge at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show

With smart technology taking over the home, hackers now have a wealth of options when choosing devices to infiltrate and launch attacks from.

In 2014, cyber security company Proofpoint detected a global attack of 750,000 malicious email communications sent from more than 100,000 devices, including household routers, TVs and at least one fridge.

The tech firm said the findings revealed that everyday appliances could be used as part of a botnet - a network of internet-connected devices infected with malicious software to send spam or viruses to other computers.


A year later, security firm Pen Test Partners uncovered a flaw with Samsung's smart fridge which allows hackers to steal consumers' Gmail login credentials.

Kettles and thermostats

Image: Smartphone-controlled kettles have been exploited by hackers

Like internet-connected fridges, smart kettles and thermostats have been used by hackers in botnet attacks.

In many cases this has occurred when devices with default passwords were compromised and used to seek other vulnerable tech.

Online security experts say kettles and thermostats were among tens of millions of smart devices used in a distributed denial-of-service attack which took down websites like Twitter, Netflix and Spotify in October.

Internet-connected kettles that have not been configured can also leak WiFi passwords, according to security expert Ken Munro.

Video baby monitors

Image: Security experts have warned parents to check the safety measures on their baby monitors

While the prospect of having your kettle hacked may not seem so terrifying, a number of parents have experienced an intruder in their children's bedrooms as a result of a tech security breach.

In one frightening incident a family in Texas had their camera-enabled baby monitor hacked by a man who started shouting abuse at their sleeping two-year-old daughter.

The problem has become so widespread that last year New York's Department of Consumer Affairs summoned several major manufacturers of video monitors to court, over claims they mislabelled their products as secure.

In September, Information Commissioner's Office manager Simon Rice warned British parents that baby monitors were among a number of products "which can be accessed online and are at risk of revealing your personal details to other people".

Webcams

Image: Webcams have long been a target for hackers

While flaws in Apple's iCloud system led to the leak of hundreds compromising images of celebrities, webcams on millions of devices across the globe are equally as vulnerable.

In November 2014, the Information Commissioner's Officer warned hundreds of private webcams in the UK could be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

It came after a Russian website streamed images from webcams around the world, after gaining access by using default logins and passwords.

At one point, users could spy on some 1,764 Britons who had their webcams hacked.

Streetlamps and traffic lights

Image: Traffic lights may be added to the so-called 'internet of things'

As the UK transitions from the 4G mobile network standard to 5G, infrastructure like streetlamps and traffic lights may be added to the so-called "internet of things".

This process is already in motion - in December the National Infrastructure Commission called on the Government to build networks alongside key rail routes and motorways by 2025. According to the NIC, this progression gives the UK a "chance to start again and get ahead".

However, it also offers opportunities for hackers to seize control of key infrastructure.

To prove weaknesses in America's transport networks, researchers from the University of Michigan hacked into nearly 100 wirelessly networked traffic lights in August 2014.

The experiment uncovered three major flaws - unencrypted wireless connections, the use of default usernames and passwords that could be found online and a debugging port that was open to attack.

Power networks

Image: The UK's power networks run on outdated software, it has been warned

Rather than take out a pocket of streetlamps, why not cause large-scale blackouts?

That was the thinking behind a hacking which knocked out a power distribution station near Kiev in December, an attack which came after three Ukrainian government departments said their websites had been temporarily downed by hackers.

In September, the CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre warned the UK's power and transport networks were at risk as they rely on outdated and exploitable software.

Ciaran Martin said: "We can and are doing our best to mitigate the risks, but the strategic solution can only come when they are replaced."