BG Staff
The most baffling and enigmatic mystery about a hacker’s mind has always interested the world of internet. Recently hackers revealed a computer code which can successfully launch attacks on websites.
The publicizing of ‘Mirai’ source code has put websites at a greater risk. The code been posted on a commonly used hacker forum and is believed to have a clue for the attack on Brian Krebs’s website in September.
The attack on Krebs website was believed to be the biggest attack in the history but then the theme was followed by two similar attacks on a French hosting firm OVH. The security of the firm was targeted more than one terabits of data
According to the analysts these website attacks accessed a lot amount of data because of the unsecured and compromised devices including webcams, routers, thermostats, and DVRs. The insecurity of these devices led to a major data breech whereas these devices could have been controlled very easily by the owners.
The Mirai code that has been revealed by the hacker involves a built-in scanner which has the ability to scan for any possible unsecured devices. Such devices are then enrolled into a botnet which can be used to launch a DDOS which is a Distributed Denial of Service attack.
Dale Drew who is a Level 3 security officer who states that publicizing of this code will encourage the botnet operators to use this code for a new surge for small business and consumer IoT compromises. In order to take advantage from this code the botnet operators will command multi hundred thousand botnet-nodes and will hunt for a bigger inventory of IoT exploits which could be the beginning of a surge of attacks against the IoT devices.
For consumers, there is a big lesson to learn. It is suggested to be very careful with the security setup of the routers or any other internet connected devices.
Keeping a strong password can prevent hackers from attacks who are always on the lookout for unsecured devices.
