People are being cautioned that Android TV boxes and TV streaming devices in their homes could be silently taken over and used in massive cyberattacks, reports Breaking News.
Grant Thornton Ireland said the alert comes after the biggest volumetric distributed denial of service attack ever documented, reports Breaking News.
Such attacks are designed to interrupt a server, service, or network by flooding it with huge volumes of internet traffic from numerous, often hijacked, sources.
Grant Thornton Ireland said the incident was carried out by a botnet called Kimwolf, which is largely made up of compromised Android-powered televisions and TV streaming devices, reports Breaking News.
Security experts have warned that millions of inexpensive and weakly protected devices worldwide may be infected and controlled remotely by cybercriminals.
Howard Shortt, cybersecurity partner at Grant Thornton Ireland, said the event shows cyber risks extend beyond workplace technology, with people increasingly targeted through everyday household devices, reports Breaking News.
“Many people don’t realise that a low-cost Android TV box in their sitting room or a cheap smart lightbulb can be compromised in seconds,” he said, reports Breaking News.
“Once attackers gain access, they can use that device as part of a botnet or quietly profile the household to support more targeted and convincing phishing attacks, reports Breaking News.
“Attackers typically exploit default passwords, outdated software, or unpatched vulnerabilities in internet-connected devices and once inside a home network, can observe traffic patterns and build a profile of the household, reports Breaking News.
“That information allows criminals to engineer highly believable phishing messages. For example, posing as a streaming provider with a prompt to review a show you have just watched. At that point, the scam is no longer random and much more believable,” reports Breaking News.
Shortt advises people to take a proactive stance on home cybersecurity, beginning with simple measures such as changing default passwords on all smart devices and routers and only buying reputable brands from trusted sellers.
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