The Internet of Things (IoT) brings many advantages, as well as a number disadvantages when it comes to security. To begin with, IoT devices typically do not have strong built-in security features to prevent hackers from accessing them. Aside from personal privacy and security concerns that result from these security gaps, the bigger danger is that these connected devices can be harnessed by hackers to form a botnet, which is an interconnected network of computing devices infected with malware, without the user’s knowledge.
Botnets are also known as “zombie armies” and can be deployed on thousands—if not millions—of connected devices to send a flood of spam, spread malware or launch a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The more Internet-connected devices there are, the greater the potential for extremely large, and powerful, botnets.
Manufacturers have been trying to improve the security of their IoT devices, but even if they could keep up with the latest security best practices, the cybercriminals will always find a security gap or figure out a work-around. In particular, DDoS attacks are common because it’s so easy to acquire and launch a DDoS toolkit. The goal of a DDoS attacker who hacks into an IoT device is not to interfere with the consumer heating system it controls or spy on the owners of IP cameras, their objective is to harness thousands of these devices, to turn them into zombie armies. A well-resourced DDoS attack can be large enough to bring even an otherwise “secure” and resilient corporate network to its knees, or it can be small—barely noticeable “white noise” that escapes human detection yet infiltrates and brings a server or service down, in a matter of seconds. Both are dangerous and can have significant negative impacts on your organization and its business continuity.
Protect Your Networks
It is challenging to prevent IoT devices from being recruited into a botnet, especially when the majority on the Internet belong to consumers, who are much less security conscious. However, organizations can confidently protect their own networks from the effects of DDoS botnets, by deploying an always-on, real-time, automated solution at the network edge, to detect and eliminate the attack traffic from entering a network. Botnet DDoS attacks cannot be easily traced to their origins, so the best approach is a defensive one.
See how Corero can help protect your organization from DDoS attacks. Contact us today!