It's called the Internet of Things and, judging by all the connected gadgets and appliances unveiled at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, it's about to strip you of what little privacy you have left.

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He gave the example of someone having a so-called smart scale in their bathroom. On the plus side, it could transmit data to a smartphone app that enables you to track your weight over various lengths of time and show which foods are having the biggest impact.

"But you might not know where else the information is going," Rosner told me. "An insurer would want to know if you're gaining a lot of weight. So would an employer."

Tom Kellerman, chief cybersecurity officer of Dallas software firm Trend Micro, offered an even more alarming scenario: A hacker could slip in through a poorly protected smart appliance and gain access to your entire home network.

"They could turn on the webcam in your child's bedroom and watch them," Kellerman said. "They could turn on all cameras and microphones in all your devices and see and hear everything you do, or shut down your entire network. This could lead to extortion demands."

These aren't idle threats. There already have been reports of baby monitors being hacked. A couple in Lacey, Wash., said last year they saw the camera in their son's room moving and heard a man's voice say, "Wake up, little boy, Daddy's coming for you."

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