Are your IoT devices living a double life?

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It is unfortunately nothing new that compromised IoT devices are being used by bad actors to target and attempt to take down computer networks across the globe. The Botnets using a malware called Mirai, comprising thousands of compromised IoT devices like IP cameras and routers were uncovered by security researchers almost a decade ago. What is new, however, is the staggering magnitude of recent attacks.

Last week, Cloudflare released a report detailing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks it spotted in Q4 of 2024. One of them is the largest such attack on record. On October 29, 13,000 compromised devices coordinated for a little over a minute to spew 5.6 Terabits of garbage data per second in a failed attempt to disable an internet service provider in Eastern Asia.

Though the attack was spotted and hampered by Cloudflare’s automated defense systems, the attack illustrates an uncomfortable fact about IoT-based botnet activity: it isn’t getting better. In fact, it’s getting worse.

Cyber security firm Trend Micro has also been tracking similar IoT botnets that have attacked targets such as Japanese banks. And as Ars Technica notes, 1 Tbps attacks were an eye-watering figure as recently as 2016. By 2026, the new norm may be an order of magnitude larger.

How can you keep your devices from getting up to no good? The prescription for individuals and organizations is mostly the same:

• Change default passwords as a part of the installation process. Most IoT devices are swept into a botnet through easy-to-guess admin credentials.

• Segment IoT devices onto a separate local network, insulated from unrestricted access to the broader internet.

• Make sure your devices stay patched and up-to-date to close exploitable loopholes as quickly as possible.

And after you’ve done your part to try and stem the tide, cross your fingers that everyone else is doing the same.

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