IDG Contributor Network: Lax IoT device security threatens to pollute the internet
DVRs, IP cameras and other smart products could become the next wave of pollutants that threaten how we live if the security issues around Internet of Things (IoT) devices aren’t addressed.
We’ve already seen that too much IoT pollution can wreck our computing environment. The October DDoS attack that brought down Twitter, Netflix and other major websites for a large portion of the U.S. was launched by a botnet comprised of Web cameras, printers and other IoT devices.
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And while having those sites offline was an inconvenience, the results of that attack weren’t devastating. But future DDoS attacks that throw terabits of data at servers could have more disastrous results. Instead of going after an internet traffic management company, the attackers could target a hospital or a utility provider. Not being able to binge-watch Netflix shows pales in seriousness when compared to cities not having electricity or a doctor being unable to access electronic medical records.
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