The American company Proofpoint discovered the first refrigerator that, along with 100,000 other devices, was distributing spam on the internet
Since any “smart” electronic device – and not just computers or mobile phones – can now fall victim to hackers, it is possible that even kitchen appliances can be exploited by the latter as tools for a “cyber-attack”. The issue of the breach of the much more vulnerable devices in the “Internet of Things” comes to the fore, as the American cybersecurity company Proofpoint announced that it has discovered for the first time a refrigerator that was sending unwanted and malicious e-mails (spam) to the Internet.
The refrigerator was among more than 100,000 other devices that made up the botnet in the aggressive online campaign orchestrated by hackers. The attack - possibly the first proven attack involving the "Internet of Things" with its almost non-existent cybersecurity - targeted computers, routers, "smart" TVs, and more.
The spate of spam messages lasted between December 23, 2013, and January 6, 2014, and is now coming to light, according to the BBC and Agence France-Presse. It is estimated that around 750,000 malicious "spam" messages were sent, their online path passing through compromised devices such as the "smart" refrigerator.
Proofpoint analysts estimate that at least 25% of these “bait” messages did not pass through traditional channels (computers or “smart” phones) at all. Instead, the malware was largely installed and delivered through other “smart” devices, such as white goods and home multi-media systems that are typically connected to televisions.
The owners of these devices were unaware that their devices had joined the malicious network and were being used by it to send spam to other users and targeted businesses. No device compromised by the hackers sent more than ten such messages, making it more difficult to block the cyberattack.
Proofpoint chief security officer David Knight warned that such attacks will become more common in the future as home devices become increasingly “smart” and connected to the internet. “Many of these devices, at best, have a low level of protection and consumers have virtually no way to detect or fix ‘infections’ when they occur,” he said.
Source: portal.kathimerini.gr
