Millions of Cheap Smart Home Devices Infected with Malware Used for Cyberattacks
By
Emma Scott, Jack Gillum, Noah Higgins-Dunn, Robert McMillan
Summary
Millions of everyday consumer devices, especially cheap knockoffs bought online, are being infected with residential proxy software (malware) that creates backdoors into home networks. This allows hackers and other actors to use these devices to power some of the most damaging cyberattacks on record. The Digital Citizens Alliance estimates there are 20 million such backdoors in the U.S. alone, highlighting a massive cybersecurity threat originating from questionable foreign companies turning cheap gadgets into attack tools.
Source
bskyMillions of Cheap Smart Home Devices Infected with Malware Used for Cyberattackson.wsj.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledMillions of everyday consumer devices, especially knockoffs that you buy online, are being infected by a malware known as residential proxy software.
This gives anyone—including hackers—a backdoor into home networks.
The Digital Citizens Alliance estimates that there are 20 million of these backdoors in the U.S.
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