You might have heard about the massive internet attack this past Friday which brought down some of the biggest websites and services on the internet. It was a distributed denial of service (DDoS) on a scale that we’ve probably not even witnessed before. It was later revealed that connected objects and Internet of Things devices such as webcams were used as tools to conduct this elaborate attack. Some of those vulnerable devices are now being recalled.
Chinese manufacturer Hangzhou Xiongmai has reportedly issued a recall for its vulnerable webcams that were used as tools in this attack. It’s said that weak default passwords on these cameras made it very easy for hackers to use them as pawns in this massive DDoS attack.
The company has also said that it’s going to release a software patch to increase the product’s defenses against similar attacks in the future. It’s going to look into the way it uses passwords on its devices as well. The company might introduce a step which makes it necessary for users to change the default password when they’re setting up the device.
Hangzhou Xiongmai is just one company that makes a product that was used in this attack. Chances are that other companies will follow suit as well and pull their vulnerable devices off the market but that doesn’t mean hackers will stop trying to use Internet of Things devices as tools in the future as well.