I stopped exposing my smart home to the Internet, and remote access is still easy – XDA

Report on the Restructuring of a Smart Home Network for Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

This report details the strategic overhaul of a residential smart home network. The primary objective was to mitigate cybersecurity risks inherent in cloud-dependent Internet of Things (IoT) devices and establish a secure, resilient, and locally controlled digital infrastructure. This initiative directly supports key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), by creating a model for sustainable and secure personal digital ecosystems.

Enhancing Digital Infrastructure Resilience (SDG 9)

Addressing Systemic Vulnerabilities

The pre-existing network architecture presented significant risks that are contrary to the principles of building resilient infrastructure as outlined in SDG 9. Key vulnerabilities included:

• Implicit Trust Model: All connected devices were granted automatic trust and broad network access, creating potential entry points for malicious actors.
• Unpatched Devices: The proliferation of IoT devices, often with inconsistent security patching, exposed the network to numerous unmitigated vulnerabilities.
• Botnet Recruitment Risk: Insecure devices were susceptible to being compromised and integrated into large-scale botnets (e.g., Mirai), contributing to global cyber threats.

Implementation of Innovative and Secure Control Systems

To construct a resilient and sustainable infrastructure, a multi-layered strategy was implemented, leveraging innovative technologies for local management and security. The process involved the following key actions:

1. Centralized Local Management: All smart devices were integrated into a singular, locally-hosted management platform, Home Assistant, to eliminate reliance on disparate and potentially insecure cloud services.
2. Network Segmentation: Wi-Fi-enabled IoT devices were isolated on a dedicated Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), preventing them from accessing the primary home network or the wider internet (WAN).
3. Firewall Policy Enforcement: Advanced firewall rules were configured using OPNsense to strictly control traffic, blocking all unsolicited outbound communication from the IoT VLAN while allowing necessary, stateful communication initiated from the secure main network.
4. Secure Remote Access: A secure VPN solution, Tailscale, was deployed as an add-on within Home Assistant. This enables encrypted remote access to the local network without exposing the infrastructure directly to the public internet, ensuring secure control from any location.

Fostering Safe and Sustainable Communities (SDG 11)

Transitioning to a Self-Sufficient Local-First Model

In alignment with SDG 11’s goal of creating safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlements, the project prioritized local control over cloud dependency. This shift enhances the home’s resilience and safety by:

• Ensuring Operational Continuity: The smart home remains fully functional during internet service disruptions, as control does not depend on external servers.
• Strengthening Data Privacy: By processing commands and data locally, including voice control via a local Large Language Model (LLM), the system minimizes the exposure of personal data to third-party cloud providers.
• Reducing External Dependencies: The use of local communication protocols such as Zigbee further decouples device functionality from internet connectivity, creating a more robust and self-sufficient home ecosystem.

Promoting Responsible Consumption and Digital Sovereignty (SDG 12)

Conscious Technology Adoption and Management

The project embodies the principles of SDG 12 by promoting responsible consumption patterns in the technology sector. This was achieved through:

• Prioritizing Interoperable Technology: Devices that could not be integrated into the local control system were replaced with compatible alternatives. This practice encourages the market to produce more secure, open, and user-centric products over proprietary, locked-in ecosystems.
• Extending Device Lifecycles: By managing devices locally, their operational lifespan is no longer tied to a manufacturer’s cloud service longevity, potentially reducing electronic waste.
• Empowering User Control: The final architecture returns full control over the devices and data to the end-user, establishing a form of “digital sovereignty” that is fundamental to responsible and sustainable technology ownership.

Conclusion: A Framework for Sustainable Smart Infrastructure

The successful re-architecture of this smart home network serves as a practical framework for aligning personal technology infrastructure with global sustainability targets. By prioritizing local control, robust security, and interoperability, the project contributes directly to building resilient infrastructure (SDG 9), fostering safer communities (SDG 11), and encouraging responsible consumption (SDG 12). This model demonstrates that a smart home can be engineered to be not only intelligent but also secure, resilient, and sustainable.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The article directly engages with building resilient and secure digital infrastructure at a personal level. It discusses innovations in home networking and cybersecurity to manage the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The concept of a “smart home” is a foundational block of “smart cities.” Ensuring the security and resilience of smart homes contributes to the overall safety and stability of increasingly connected urban environments. Compromised homes can form botnets that threaten wider community and city-level digital services.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article touches upon combating cybercrime. By securing IoT devices, the author prevents them from being absorbed into “botnets like Mirai,” which are tools used by organized crime for large-scale cyberattacks, extortion, and other illicit activities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being. The article is a case study in enhancing the resilience of personal digital infrastructure. The author’s primary motivation is to fix security holes and create a reliable, secure home network that is not vulnerable to external threats. He achieves this by “blocking every IoT device from accessing the WAN, adjusting firewall and device settings, and integrating everything into Home Assistant for local control.”

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.b: …increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… resilience to disasters… While typically focused on natural disasters, this target can be interpreted to include resilience against large-scale, man-made technological disasters like massive cyberattacks. The article highlights how unsecured IoT devices create “thousands of zombie devices waiting to be called into action.” By securing his home, the author contributes to the resilience of the broader internet infrastructure, preventing his devices from participating in an attack that could disrupt community services.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.4: …combat all forms of organized crime. The article explicitly mentions the threat of botnets like Mirai, which are tools for organized cybercrime. The author’s efforts to secure his network are a direct action to prevent his personal technology from being exploited by criminal organizations. He notes the danger of “barely-secured IoT devices” becoming part of these criminal networks, and his solution is a direct countermeasure.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Target 9.1: Resilient Infrastructure

  • Implied Indicator: Implementation of network segmentation for IoT devices. The article states, “Any Wi-Fi-connected smart home devices have been put on their own access point, on a dedicated VLAN for IoT devices.” This is a measurable action to increase network resilience.
  • Implied Indicator: Proportion of smart devices operating under local control versus cloud-based control. The author’s goal was to “take control back from the cloud” and bring devices under “local control, so that they didn’t need cloud services.” Measuring the shift from cloud to local control indicates increased resilience and security.

• Target 11.b: Resilience to Disasters

  • Implied Indicator: Number of IoT devices blocked from unsolicited internet access. The author describes the process of “blocking every IoT device from accessing the WAN.” This count serves as a direct measure of reducing the potential attack surface and preventing devices from becoming part of a botnet.

• Target 16.4: Combat Organized Crime

  • Implied Indicator: Use of secure, end-to-end encrypted remote access tools. Instead of exposing services to the internet, the author chose to “set up Tailscale with the Home Assistant add-on.” The adoption of secure VPN and overlay network solutions over insecure methods like port forwarding is an indicator of progress in preventing devices from being compromised by criminal actors.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: xda-developers.com