A couple decades ago, you only had to worry about PC viruses. A few years later, Macs started to get viruses. Now we have smartphone viruses and tablet viruses.
Well today, some of the most dangerous viruses may be found in your kitchen.
Computer security experts have discovered that nearly 1 million malicious emails were sent out over the last few weeks. These emails were sent using a botnet, but that botnet came from a totally unexpected source: your home appliances.
That’s right: according to a California security company called Proofpoint, hackers were able to infiltrate the home routers of thousands of households. These hackers used this infiltration to take over all devices that were connected to that network.
In most homes, that would simply include computers and smartphones. But since more and more people are buying smart fridges and smart TVs, that list now includes refrigerators, televisions, and other home appliances.
Security experts have talked about attacks like this before, but always in a theoretical sense. Yes, they could happen, but they haven’t happened yet.
Well, that day has finally come. When an attack takes over your home’s router, it has the ability to access every device on your network. If you’ve recently purchased a smart appliance, then the attacker doesn’t necessarily distinguish between devices.
Long story short: that next spam email you receive in your inbox may be sent from a fridge. The next step? Robotic fridges taking over the world. Be prepared.
