Recently, a massive and sustained internet attack that has caused outages and network congestion for a large number of websites was launched with the help of hacked devices such as CCTV video cameras and digital video recorders, new data suggests.
On October 21st, cyber criminals began training their attack cannons on Dyn, an Internet infrastructure company that provides critical technology services to some of the Internet’s top destinations. The attack began creating problems for Internet users reaching an array of sites, including Twitter, Amazon, Tumblr, Reddit, Spotify and Netflix.
At first, it was unclear who or what was behind the attack on Dyn. But at least one computer security firm has come out saying the attack involved Mirai. At the end September 2016, the hacker responsible for creating the Mirai malware released the source code for it, effectively letting anyone build their own attack army using Mirai. Mirai scours the Web for devices protected by little more than factory-default usernames and passwords, and then enlists the devices in attacks that hurl junk traffic at an online target until it can no longer accommodate legitimate visitors or users.
Many of these products are from a company called XiongMai and other makers of inexpensive, mass-produced devices are essentially unfixable, and will remain a danger to others unless they are completely unplugged from the Internet. That’s because while many of these devices allow users to change the default usernames and passwords on a web-based administration panel that ships with the products, those machines can still be reached via more obscure, less user-friendly communications services called “Telnet” and “SSH.”
Telnet and SSH are command-line, text-based interfaces that are typically accessed via a command prompt (e.g., in Microsoft Windows, a user could click Start, and in the search box type “cmd.exe” to launch a command prompt, and then type “telnet” to reach a username and password prompt at the target host).
Attacks like these remind us just how important having an impenetrable security system is for firms that have sensitive information to protect. Fusion IT offer to set up and maintenance of cyber security systems, as well as offering expert advice on which devices to use and how to protect them, helping ensure your IT system’s safety when threats like this occur.
Article source: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/10/hacked-cameras-dvrs-powered-todays-massive-internet-outage/
