No one could have ever imagined they would read a headline like this, yet here we are. Apparently, smart toothbrushes are becoming the latest recruits in the arsenal of cybercriminals. About 3 million of these everyday bathroom gadgets have been hijacked and used to flood online services with traffic, rendering them inaccessible. An unexpected twist in the sector of Internet of Things (IoT) security was highlighted by a recent report, which pointed out the vulnerabilities in seemingly harmless devices.

This unusual attack targeted a Swiss Company’s website

The incident involved smart toothbrushes being manipulated to target a Swiss company’s website, causing it to crash for several hours and resulting in significant financial damage. This scenario underscores a critical message: any device that connects to the internet can potentially be exploited for malicious purposes, from baby monitors to electric toothbrushes.

Toothbrush

The Swiss branch of cybersecurity firm Fortinet has been at the forefront of sounding the alarm on this issue. Stefan Züger, from Fortinet, emphasized the importance of recognizing the risks associated with internet-connected devices. His team’s experiment, which involved exposing an unprotected computer to the internet, saw it compromised in just 20 minutes, illustrating the speed at which cyber threats can materialize.

The proliferation of IoT devices in homes and businesses increases the avenues through which attackers can execute distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Devices ranging from routers and surveillance cameras to, now, toothbrushes, can be commandeered to disrupt online services.

To combat this threat, experts recommend keeping the software of all networked devices up to date with automatic security patches. Additionally, the use of antivirus software and monitoring for unusual spikes in energy and data usage can help detect and prevent malware infections.

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