Half a million smart devices including webcams and baby monitors in the city are currently vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to cyber attack . BARCELONA , Spain -- ( BUSINESS WIRE ) -- Avast , the leader in digital security products for consumers and businesses , today reveals the findings Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability from its latest research experiment into smart devices , including public and private webcam vulnerabilities in Spain , and , specifically , in Barcelona . Avast identified Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability more than 22,000 webcams and baby monitors in the city that are vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to attack , which means that cybercriminals could livestream the videos directly to the internet . The findings identified Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability more than 493,000 smart devices in Barcelona and 5.3 million in Spain overall – including smart kettles , coffee machines , garage doors , fridges , thermostats and other IP-connected devices – that are connected to the internet and vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability to attacks . As webcams and other devices are vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability , there are a range of security , legal and privacy concerns to be addressed Vulnerability-related.PatchVulnerability . Snoopers could easily access and watch Attack.Databreach Mobile World Congress visitors and Barcelona residents in private and public spaces , and stream Attack.Databreach the video directly to the internet , or turn the device into a bot . When a device is infected , it can also be used to infect other devices , to add them to a botnet , or to take control over them and do harm to their owner . This includes kitchen and other household devices , to which cybercriminals can give remote orders , for example , to heat up water in a kettle . Smart device manufacturers also collect and store private user data , including behavioral data , contact information , and credit card details , which poses an additional risk if intercepted Attack.Databreach by cybercriminals . And while the problem is in no way confined to Barcelona , Spain , or indeed to webcams , it is particularly challenging for the city as it is hosting thousands of mobile and technology industry executives at Mobile World Congress 2017 this week . In the experiment , Avast found : Conducted in partnership with IoT search engine specialists Shodan.io , the experiment proves just how easy it is for anyone - including cybercriminals - to scan IP addresses and ports over the Internet and classify what device is on each IP address . And , with a little extra effort and know-how , hackers can also find out the type of device ( webcam , printer , smart kettle , fridge and so on ) , brand , model and the version of software it is running . “ With databases of commonly known device vulnerabilities publicly available , it doesn ’ t take a vast amount of effort and knowledge for cybercriminals to connect the dots and find out Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability which devices are vulnerable Vulnerability-related.DiscoverVulnerability , ” comments Vince Steckler , CEO at Avast . “ And even if the devices are password protected , hackers often gain access by trying out the most common user names and passwords until they crack it ” . Avast ’ s latest research experiment highlights a serious and growing problem which , unless addressed , will only worsen in line with the increasing number of devices connected to the Internet . Vince Steckler , Avast , continues : “ If webcams are set to livestream for example , hackers or anyone can connect , making it easy for cybercriminals to spy on innocent Mobile World Congress trade show visitors , or oblivious school pupils , workers or citizens nearby . In the future , we could also see cases where cybercriminals harvest Attack.Databreach personal data , including credit card information from unsuspected IoT users ” . To be aware of vulnerabilities and secure all connected devices against unwanted attacks , users need to contribute to making the online world a safer place by keeping software updated and choosing strong , complex passwords .