The Friday cybersecurity attack using connected devices, or the Internet of Things, was serious, unusual and even historic. It also is a taste of the disruptions to come, say security experts.
The attack, which affected a number of major Web sites, reportedly used Internet-enabled cameras as a platform for a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The attackers exploited manufacturer-set passwords that hadn’t been reset by users.
“This is just the beginning,” said Sanjay Sarma, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT who has done pioneering work on IoT systems “There’s more coming, sadly — perhaps a power plant.”