Cyber ​​attacks at home

Cybercriminals can access alarms, televisions, smart bulbs or washing machines and take control of the home | The attacks by known viruses only represent 12% of the total

     All the appliances connected to the internet that we have at home can be hacked. Also the Smart TV or even the entrance door, if it is has a security code instead of the traditional key. All these devices IoT (Internet of Things) are connected to a 'Smart Hub' , the module placed in the home that manages them.

The problem analyzed by Kaspersky Labes that a cybercriminal can remotely access the server of these modules and download a file with the personal data of the user needed to access their accounts. "Could get to take control of their home systems," they say from the security company. And because these systems have a 'unifying' function, they are especially interesting for hackers because they can use them as an entry point.


       Although cybersecurity researchers have focused their attention on IoT devices in recent years, they are still proving that they are not entirely safe," said Vladimir Dashchenko, head of the vulnerability research group at Kaspersky Lab, during the conference. This Tuesday's press at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, ​​who has ensured that even a smart light bulb "can commit us".

The company recommends users to always use complex passwords and change them regularly. In addition to these usual tips, Dashchenko has asked people to take an interest in cybersecurity issues by looking up the latest information on discovered and patched vulnerabilities in smart devices.


The most threatened Android

Threats at the computer level are increasing and the "cybercrime business" is increasing all over the world. Ricardo Maté, general director of Sophos Iberia, has been little optimistic, explaining in an interview to this newspaper that the best technical tools that only terrorists or governments had before, are now "within the reach of anyone in the 'deep web' " . In the same way, anybody - individual person or company - is exposed to being attacked.

Thus, it is no longer just the large multinationals that cybercriminals look at, but that the focus is more than ever on mobile phones. On all Android. A study by Sophos revealed that devices with this operating system detected more than 10 million threats in 2017, of which 77% were malignant. To avoid these cyber attacks, Maté recommends above all a task of "prevention" and always have the security copy ready, which in the end user is "so rare" that he does it.

Viruses are new

In addition, a Sophos study of 2,700 companies around the world has shown that attacks by known 'malware' only account for 12% of all attacks. "The new techniques of 'ransomware' or vulnerabilities to applications are 60%, so traditional antivirus solutions do not protect the user," says Maté. A worrisome problem because, in addition, it is a similar situation throughout the world, although in the United States and the United Kingdom they are "somewhat more advanced". Spain, although it is not a very cyber-ravaged country, receives a significant number that has increased greatly from 2016 to 2017.

Mobile devices are, therefore, the target of attacks of 'malware' that grows the most. This creates a "significant" threat to the security of companies because most employees have job information on their personal cell phones or laptops. Dan Schiappa, global head of Products at Sophos, says that one of his studios has discovered that attackers increasingly use Google Play to hide malicious applications such as crypto-software or unwanted advertising that "can cause a variety of problems for users." Android users. "

On the other hand, the computer security company ESET has presented at the MWC of Barcelona a study that states that 90% of televisions connected to an Android operating system are vulnerable. ESET says that although the benefits of the Internet of Things are "undoubted", these devices have "a dark side" related to the data they handle.

"We are seeing an increase in the number of attacks on Android devices, including those related to ransomware. As the number of connected devices in the market grows, the risk for companies and users is greater, "says Juraj Malcho, ESET's technology director