Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
The EditorsOctober 18, 2016
(iStock photo)Photo via iStock

In late September a record-breaking “denial of service” attack was launched against the security news site KrebsOnSecurity. For about 24 hours legitimate users could not reach the site. A week later a similar attack on another site shattered the record at 1.1 terabytes per second. These increasingly large attacks were made possible by the so-called internet of things, devices like security cameras, digital video recorders and other small home appliances that are connected to the internet.

Because of poor security design, these devices are easily compromised and added to a botnet, a network of devices that can be controlled and coordinated by hackers. The hackers use these devices to target a specific website or internet service with floods of phony traffic. This can be a lucrative business; one group collected over $600,000 over the course of two years. The poor security of these devices deserves immediate attention. When they install these devices in their homes, consumers may unwittingly be giving hackers the tools to block access to information around the world. It is a classic tragedy of the commons.

Internet service providers should create ways to inform customers when it appears that malicious traffic is originating from their home connections. Armed with more knowledge, users could update their devices to the latest standards and press hardware makers to release safer, more robust firmware.

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, by J.D. Long García
J.D. Long GarcíaApril 30, 2025
A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, by Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinApril 30, 2025
In a pre-conclave meeting, an Italian cardinal, and backer of Cardinal Parolin as next pope, attacked Pope Francis for opening positions of responsibility in the church to men and women not in holy orders.
Gerard O’ConnellApril 30, 2025
Michael B. Jordan, left, in “Sinners” (Warner Brothers)
As the film’s title promises, there is plenty of sin on display, even before the vampires arrive.
John DoughertyApril 30, 2025