The Internet of Things (IoT) has grabbed hold of the world. Not only can someone tell Alexa to start the car or order take-out, the advanced technology allows for better systems controls at hotels, power plants and even casinos. Unfortunately, all of the interconnectivity can also give hackers greater access to computer systems, and has already resulted in several high-profile thefts.

Darktrace, a cybersecurity company out of the UK, has been keeping tabs in hacking activities, and recently provided a report to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) CEO Council held in London. Nicole Eagen, the company’s CEO, offered, “There’s a lot of internet of things devices, everything from thermostats, refrigeration systems, HVAC [air conditioning] systems, to people who bring in their Alexa devices into the offices. There’s just a lot of IoT. It expands the attack surface and most of this isn’t covered by traditional defenses.”

One notable hacking operation using the IoT was conducted at an unidentified casino. Hackers were able to gain access to the casino’s high roller client list by hacking through a thermometer that was installed in the casino’s lobby aquarium. In speaking of the attack, Eagen said, “The attackers used that to g

et a foothold in the network. They then found the high-roller database and then pulled that back across the network, out the thermostat, and up to the cloud.”