Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET:  Add us as a preferred source  on Google. As a tech journalist, I am surprisingly hardline about limiting the number of smart and internet-enabled devices in my home. Mostly because I firmly believe that no one should be able to post to social media from their refrigerator , and an oven does not need to integrate Alexa for me to bake a cake. But another big reason I'm cautious is that the more smart devices you have connected to your network, the easier it is for hackers to access your data. It's a big security risk that's more prevalent than you'd think. Also: The best VPNs for streaming While many new smart TVs and internet-enabled appliances offer some level of data protection, whether through a dedicated chipset or integrated malware detection, these measures are at best weak and at worst outright ineffective. Thankfully, if you already subscribe to a VPN or are considering one, adding protection to your smart TV is fast and simple.…