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Attack of the zombie fridges
Washington - Call it the attack of the zombie refrigerators.
Computer security researchers said they discovered a large "botnet" which infected Internet-connected home appliances and then delivered more than 750,000 malicious e-mails.
The California security firm Proofpoint, which announced its findings last week, said this may be the first proven "Internet of Things" based cyberattack involving "smart" appliances.
Proofpoint said hackers managed to penetrate home-networking routers, connected multi-media centres, televisions and at least one refrigerator to create a botnet - or platform to deliver malicious spam or phishing e-mails from a device, usually without the owner's knowledge.
Proofpoint said the case "has significant security implications for device owners and enterprise targets" because of massive growth expected in the use of smart and connected devices.
The company said it documented the incidents between Dec 23 and Jan 6, which featured "waves of malicious e-mail, typically sent in bursts of 100,000, three times per day, targeting enterprises and individuals worldwide".
More than 25 per cent of the volume was sent by things that were not conventional laptops, desktop computers or mobile devices.
AFP
Washington - Call it the attack of the zombie refrigerators.
Computer security researchers said they discovered a large "botnet" which infected Internet-connected home appliances and then delivered more than 750,000 malicious e-mails.
The California security firm Proofpoint, which announced its findings last week, said this may be the first proven "Internet of Things" based cyberattack involving "smart" appliances.
Proofpoint said hackers managed to penetrate home-networking routers, connected multi-media centres, televisions and at least one refrigerator to create a botnet - or platform to deliver malicious spam or phishing e-mails from a device, usually without the owner's knowledge.
Proofpoint said the case "has significant security implications for device owners and enterprise targets" because of massive growth expected in the use of smart and connected devices.
The company said it documented the incidents between Dec 23 and Jan 6, which featured "waves of malicious e-mail, typically sent in bursts of 100,000, three times per day, targeting enterprises and individuals worldwide".
More than 25 per cent of the volume was sent by things that were not conventional laptops, desktop computers or mobile devices.
AFP
