Hyderabad: Cybercriminals are eying Internet of Things (IoT) specifically to get access to the Wi-Fi routers at home and identify credentials. This is attributed to increase in illegal apps on Android and increased smart home devices, malware is being pushed onto phones, tablets and other IOT devices.
Also, cybercriminals are eyeing the smart cities implementation as many are failing to secure connected devices, sensors, and communication infrastructure and importantly ascertain citizen privacy.
For instance a ransomware attack in 2018 crippled the city of Atlanta for days and cost taxpayers close to $17 million. One of the most high-profile attack in 2016 was by Mirai malware which successfully turned lakhs of Linux-based IoT devices into a botnet army. This army was then used to launch a series of highly disruptive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks around the world.
A Symantec spokesperson said, “We expect to see growing numbers of attacks against IoT devices that control critical infrastructure such as power distribution and communications networks. And as home-based IoT devices become more ubiquitous, there will likely be future attempts to weaponise them – say, by one nation shutting down home thermostats in an enemy state during a harsh winter.”
Symantec even noted that among the most troubling will be attacks against IoT devices which are kinetic, such as cars and other vehicles. New mobile malware is investigating smartphones, tablets, and routers to gain access to the digital assistants and home IoT devices.
A Mcafee Labs 2019 threat predictions report stated: “New mobile malware will likely investigate smartphones, tablets, and routers to gain access to the digital assistants and home IoT devices they control. Once infected, these devices can serve as a picklock to consumer homes while supplying botnets, which can launch DDoS attacks or grant cybercriminal access to personal data and the opportunity for other malicious activities such as opening doors and connecting to control servers.”
