Starting today, security researchers from Avast will demonstrate at the Mobile World Congress 2018 how a modern television can be used for monero-cryptomining. Viewers can watch live how the device is infected with malware. All Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including traffic lights, cameras, WLAN routers, loudspeakers, intelligent refrigerators, other modern kitchen appliances, thermostats, regulators and much more are suitable for this purpose.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming more and more extensive for the Bitcoin trader
Worldwide, around 500 million devices and Bitcoin trader services are connected to the Internet, and the number is rising rapidly. Despite all the advantages offered by modern technologies such as Smart TV or Smart Home, it is also important to take a look at the Bitcoin trader risks. Hacking smart devices is no longer something only a few geniuses can do.
Future hackers no longer even have to try out for themselves which devices are susceptible to takeover by third parties. This information can be easily obtained from the Shodan.io website after registration. This is a kind of search engine for hackers. Listed are the security holes or standard passwords of all intelligent devices with Internet connection. Shodan.io searches the Internet daily and analyzes the results to keep the database up to date. For the very lazy hackers there are automatic tools such as AutoSploit. This script takes over the devices at home at the push of a button. Of course, this is not legal.
This accessibility to sensitive information naturally threatens the privacy of people who use modern security cameras or smart speakers at home, for example, to film or listen to those affected. On the multilingual website Insecam.org, the live stream from countless unprotected video cameras is transmitted to the net as a deterrent in order to inform the owners about the threats to their modern devices. Related to Germany, this is a total of 500 IP cameras, whose live images are available there around the clock. Also all morally questionable motives were removed according to own statement from the data base. Since the operators of the cameras have never changed the preset passwords to control the devices, the transmissions can of course also intercept third parties.
Capturing smart TVs for the crypto trader
In addition to such use cases for hacking smart devices, there is now another one that is particularly relevant for crypto trader affine devices: https://www.geldplus.net/en/crypto-trader-review/ Employees of Avast, the manufacturer of antiviruses, want to demonstrate how easy it is to take over a modern television set including an Internet connection at the trade fair currently taking place in Barcelona. In the live experiment, a smart TV is captured in order to dig for Monero. We have already reported several times about JavaScript on web servers and other malware that can be used to abuse PCs, smartphones, SCADA controllers for wind turbines and much more to dig for crypto currencies. Cyber criminals have now targeted the IoT’s hardware in view of the sheer number of devices.
According to the Shodan database, there are over 58,000 smart devices in the network in Barcelona alone that would be suitable for a takeover. Only devices with a fast CPU or graphics card are actually suitable for crypto mining.
Due to the comparatively low margins for the mining of IoT devices, hackers are encouraged to infect even more hardware in order to generate sufficient sales.
For owners, this can result in an excessive electricity bill, increased response times, reduced performance and a shortened lifespan of the affected devices.
Websites such as Insecam or Shodan and projects such as the one presented by Avast impressively show that a more precise knowledge of the security precautions of modern technology should be more closely checked in-house for security. Accordingly, it should be checked where, for example, the standard passwords can be changed.