A massive cyber attack on free sex adult teen cartoon videoFriday used a system of smart devices like cameras and DVRs to attack important internet infrastructure, leading to widespread problems for some of the web's most popular destinations.
And you can do something about it — one very simple thing.
The DDoS attack that targeted an obscure but crucial internet infrastructure company used Internet of Things (IoT) devices, according to analysis by cybersecurity firm Flashpoint. There are more than 6 billion such devices currently running, according to Gartner Research. That number could reach more than 20 billion by 2020.
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Friday's attack affected many major websites and services including Twitter, Spotify and Paypal, which users struggled to access for most of the day. The attack was orchestrated by using malware to infect and influence devices such as televisions, coffeemakers, routers, webcams and other devices connected to the internet.
"The really frightening part of this is not that we will be struggling with these new attacks for some time."
Flashpoint claimed that the main devices implicated in this attack were digital video recorders.
And this could just be the beginning. Next time, it could be something far more serious than not being able to tweet.
"The really frightening part of this is not that we will be struggling with these new attacks for some time, but that the underlying weakness which makes them successful can and will be used to unleash more serious attacks that steal credit cards and weapons designs, manipulate processes like the SWIFT global funds transfers, and even destroy physical things like the 30,000 PCs at Saudi Aramco," wrote Chris Sullivan, general manager of analytics firm Core Security, in an email.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to help stop this problem.
How they get in
An attacker gets into your device by using a piece of computer code that searches for any internet-connected devices that have default settings.
This means if you haven't updated your login and password from admin and admin, you are probably being targeted. The malware code scans the internet looking for these devices, which it can then enter and turn into zombies later used to launch an attack on a particular target.
But how do you stop this happening? With the average person becoming more and more connected to the internet and introducing more and more devices into their network, being security aware is more important than ever.
These attacks are just going to grow in size the more devices become connected. At the moment the average person might have two devices, in four years, they might have 10.
Update, update, update
The easiest way is to make sure you install automatic updates.
"Keep your machines as up to date as possible. Keep your IoT devices as up to date as possible. When they send out updates, don't ignore those," Justin Fier, director for cyber intelligence and analysis at Darktrace, told Mashable.
It's not just the internet that is at stake. This kind of simple security procedure will make sure none of your devices are part of some zombie-machine horde, as well as ensure that whoever controls these devices can't cause problems in your home.
"What if somebody could control the thermostat and crank the heat up all the way? Or turn a coffee maker on when you're not home?" Fier said.
Be kind, reboot
Making sure your connected devices are secure can be as easy as restarting them.
Reboots can wipe malicious code from the memories of connected devices. That's only a temporary fix, however, as the device can still be susceptible to new scans that then reinstall the malicious code.
Get smart
The proliferation of internet-connected devices combined with the growing acceptance of technology into our personal lives has created a general need for what Fier calls "good cyber hygiene."
Making sure your home devices aren't being hacked is the kind of basic tech device that we need to internalize much like "don't click on links you shouldn't be clicking on," he said.
Fier noted that this is particularly important as people begin buying more devices for their homes that connect to the internet.
"Four years ago, your house only had a router and maybe a computer per person, now you've got on average, for the typical household of four, eight devices connected to the internet," he said. "Let's put three TVs on top of that, Amazon fire stick or Apple TV. We are already up to a dozen devices and people aren't watching the activity."