Are smart devices worth the hacking risk?

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Whether it is fitness trackers like Fitbit, smart homes or self-driving cars, let's face it, technology is a lot of fun and it makes our lives easier. But the Department of Homeland Security says it can also put us in danger.  

The Obama administration is urging tech companies to make devices more secure to prevent hackers from gaining control of them.

NYU Assistant Prof. Justin Cappos, a tech expert, says devices snoop on you and let people collect information about your activity patterns and know when you are out of town

Tech enthusiast and marketing consultant Peter Shankman has a smart apartment. He uses his phone to control his lighting, television, and music sound system. He also has a motion sensor under his mattress to track his sleep patterns. He is working on getting a door lock that he can unlock with his phone when he is not in his apartment.

Is he at all concerned about someone gaining access?

He says that the devices are not the problem; the user is the problem. He says we need to have better passwords, activate dual authentication, and do more to protect ourselves as consumers that most people don't do.

Prof. Cappos says you really have to ask yourself if the risk worth the benefit you get from the item. In his view, the answer is no.