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Rash of in-the-wild attacks permanently destroys poorly secured IoT devices via Ars Technica

While I’m all for taking basic security precautions with IoT devices, this seems way over the top. Send me a note. Drop me an email. Don’t just zap my Arduino or Raspberry Pi and leave me wondering what happened. Ouch! Prepare yourself and your IoT devices so you don’t get burned. — Douglas

Researchers have uncovered a rash of ongoing attacks designed to damage routers and other Internet-connected appliances so badly that they become effectively inoperable.

PDoS attack bots (short for "permanent denial-of-service") scan the Internet for Linux-based routers, bridges, or similar Internet-connected devices that require only factory-default passwords to grant remote administrator access. Once the bots find a vulnerable target, they run a series of highly debilitating commands that wipe all the files stored on the device, corrupt the device's storage, and sever its Internet connection. Given the cost and time required to repair the damage, the device is effectively destroyed, or bricked, from the perspective of the typical consumer.

Read Rash of in-the-wild attacks permanently destroys poorly secured IoT devices via Ars Technica


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