Even toothbrushes can be a cyber hazard

Security experts have warned that millions of toothbrushes infected with viruses could be used in a large-scale cyber attack.

Internet-connected toothbrushes could be connected to a so-called botnet, allowing them to carry out a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that would overwhelm websites and servers with large amounts of web traffic.

According to Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, which first reported the threat, the attack could bring down major websites, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. Many reported the hypothetical scenario as an actual attack on an unknown Swiss company, but Fortinet was quick to explain that it was only research and a warning about a possible future threat.

“Tema o uporabi zobnih ščetk za napade DDoS je bila predstavljena med intervjujem kot ilustracija določene vrste napada in ne temelji na raziskavah Fortineta ali FortiGuard Labs,” je dejal tiskovni predstavnik. “Zdi se, da se je zaradi prevodov pripoved o tej temi raztegnila do te mere, da so hipotetični in dejanski scenariji zabrisani.”

Družba Fortinet opozarja tudi na nevarnosti pametnih naprav, ki lahko vključujejo spletne kamere, otroške video varuške, zvonce in pametne gospodinjske aparate. “Vsaka naprava, ki je povezana z internetom, je potencialna tarča – ali pa jo je mogoče zlorabiti za napad,” je dejal Stefan Züger, vodja sistemske tehnologije pri švicarskem Fortinetu. Züger je lastnikom pametnih tehnologij svetoval, naj sprejmejo ukrepe za svojo zaščito.

It's not hard to see that everyday smart devices are increasing risks. At this year's CES, we were presented with even more such devices, including a smart pillow, so it is quite understandable that in the future cyber miscreants will also focus on these devices.

The question is how we can protect ourselves and at the same time use smart everyday devices.