Mirai malware to create a “botnet”; Mirai was also used for
similar attacks on websites such as Krebs on Security.21
On June 25, 2019, a new IoT malware called Silex was
found to be wiping device firmware after gaining access via
default credentials – the standard user name and password
that devices are shipped with. The malware, which only
operated for one day, managed to brick thousands of IoT
devices.22
These examples highlight two primary risks facing IoT23:
1. Consumer privacy and safety are being undermined by
the vulnerability of individual devices, connectivity, and
back-ends; and
2. The wider economy and critical infrastructures face an
increasing threat of large-scale cyber-attacks launched
from massive numbers of insecure IoT devices.
INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)
THREAT LANDSCAPE
HISTORY OF
ACTUAL EVENTS
Multi-kiloton pipeline explosion
Critical infrastructure sites affected
Cars: digitally stolen, remotely crashed
Steel mill blast furnace damaged
Larger scale power grid crashed
Hospital breached via medical devices
Figure 1: IoT Threat Landscape: Actual Events (Source: Symantec)
12
21 https://krebsonsecurity.com/
22 https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/-silex-malware-bricks-iot-devices-with-weak-passwords
23 Secure by Design: Improving the cyber security of consumer Internet of Things. Policy report UK Government, March 2018.
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