Tag: internet of things

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Expect DDoS Attacks to be Stronger than Ever Thanks to Weak IoT Security

The number of internet connected devices is growing at an extremely rapid pace, and continuing to accelerate thanks to the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) devices.  IoT includes things like web-enabled security cameras, cars, televisions, and even coffee makers.  While these devices are sure to give us great conveniences, experts are learning that they are also causing huge security concerns.

Since these are typically single purpose devices, security isn’t always the top priority.  This leaves them susceptible to hackers.  While having a hacker break into a coffee maker and brew an extra pot might be a funny prank, it isn’t all that serious. There are, however, some very serious problems that this type of weak security can cause.

The security focused blog, Krebs on Security, was hit big a significant DDoS attack that was flooding his servers with almost 700 gigs of data per second.  While DDoS attacks are not necessarily uncommon, this one was found to have come, in part, from IoT devices including nearly a million web-enabled security cameras and other similar devices.

DDoS attacks rely on the ability to infect devices and then ‘instruct’ them to flood data to a specific address.  The more devices that are infected with the malware, the stronger the attack can be.  Infecting PCs and servers is great because they have a significant amount of processing power, these smaller devices can add a lot of data just from sheer numbers.

Another thing that makes this particularly dangerous is that most people won’t really notice (or care?) if their IoT devices are infected, as long as they still operate.  Well-written DDoS code won’t cause major problems on the infected devices, so their performance won’t be noticeably different.  Infecting a million IoT devices that will remain infected for long periods of time is going to be very attractive for those who perform these types of attacks.

This type of threat is something that can seriously impact just about everyone on the web, which can have a very negative impact on marketers.  DDoS attacks can (and do) hit any type of site, and a powerful one can take down a page for days at a time without trouble.  While DDoS attacks don’t get the same press as ad blocking and normal malware for marketers, it is something that we should all be very aware of as the problem is going to get much worse before it gets better.

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FTC Warns of Security Risks on Internet of Things

Just as the world of mobile advertising and marketing is starting to really focus on the ‘Internet of Things’ and how they can best use it to display ads and drive sales, the FTC is issuing a fairly serious warning.  Edith Ramirez, the FTC chairwoman, commented at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, that “the IoT has the potential to transform our daily lives.” She went on to say, however, that there are, “significant privacy and security implications” as well.

This warning may be coming at the perfect time, as many in the marketing industry are worried that we will be ‘behind the ball’ when it comes to fighting fraud and security issues on this new lineup of devices.  Similar to how the marketing industry has had to battle hackers and fraudsters on mobile and display ads, the same can be expected with Internet of Things devices.

The important thing to remember, and what it seems the point of the FTC warning, is that it is important to get ahead of the curve with this emerging market.  By focusing on security and ethical marketing now, it will be possible to minimize the problems in the future.

Ramirez also commented in her presentation saying, “The introduction of sensors and devices into currently intimate spaces, like our homes, cars and even our bodies, poses particular challenges and increases the sensitivity of the data that is being collected.  Connected devices are effectively allowing companies to digitally monitor our otherwise private activities.”

Of course, in addition to the companies monitoring this information, it will potentially be available to unethical hackers and other criminals, which is a significant risk.

While no specific solutions were provided by Ramirez or the FTC, they are encouraging marketers and those in the IoT industries to work together to find ways to prevent as many of these problems as possible.

She ended with something of a warning to the industry saying that they must consider the security threats.  This obviously means that the FTC will be watching closely how these devices, and the technologies they use, are being used to ensure consumers are kept as safe as possible.

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