The computer in your toothbrush: 3 million smart toothbrushes were just used in a DDoS attack. Really

[usonian]

Last edited Fri Feb 9, 2024, 12:50 PM - Edit history (1)

On edit. This may be baloney. But other devices, chiefly home routers, have been hijacked, so proceed with caution. And buy "dumb" stuff while it's still available.


https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/smart-home/3-million-smart-toothbrushes-were-just-used-in-a-ddos-attack-really/

Does DDoS mean Dental Denial of Service attack?

It sounds more like science fiction than reality, but Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung reports that approximately three million smart toothbrushes were hijacked by hackers to launch a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. These innocuous bathroom gadgets -- transformed into soldiers in a botnet army -- knocked out a Swiss company for several hours, costing millions of euros in damages.

While the details are scarce, we know that the compromised toothbrushes were running Java, a popular language for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Once infected, a global network of malicious toothbrushes launched their successful attack.

The repurposed toothbrushes accomplished this by flooding the Swiss website with bogus traffic, effectively knocking services offline and causing widespread disruption.

This episode underlines the ever-expanding threat landscape as the IoT becomes increasingly embedded in our daily lives. "Smart" toothbrushes are now 10 years old. Devices that once seemed harmless and disconnected from the digital ecosystem are now potential entry points for cybercriminals. The implications are vast, not only for individual privacy and security but also for national infrastructure and economic stability.

What's next? micro-dentists?

(yes, that's Kirk Douglas)

and I bought the "dumb" electronic toothbrush.