Internet of things: The biggest threat ever to data in the cloud

Several websites were recently paralyzed by a large-scale botnet attack.

This used previously unused equipment, such as surveillance cameras and baby monitors.

The Internet of Things is is now developing is only going to make this worse.

While the idea itself isn't a bad one to connect equipment to the Internet to run software updates or other applications, it also a very big threat.

What many do not realize, and what has recently been shown, is that such devices (including due to the carelessness of their users) invariably have weaknesses.

They are then abused by cybercriminals to carry out orchestrated attacks on predetermined targets.

The more devices one connects to the internet, the more tools become available for those criminals to abuse.

One may think that the weaknesses can be resolved with a software update, but what is forgotten is that such devices have an end-of-life for the manufacturers.

After a few years, they are no longer supported by the manufacturer, but they are still useful to the owner and therefore continue to be used. The cyber criminal then has plenty of time to look for weaknesses and use them for cyber attacks. Since the manufacturer no longer makes the effort to fix those bugs, such devices are a permanent danger as long as they are connected to the Internet.

Until now it has been limited to a few websites, but with the evolution of data to the cloud presents a much bigger problem.

Many software developers now leave the customer no choice and force users to put their data in the cloud, with all the dangers that entails.

Here is one example, but there are dozens more.

Suppose you have an accounting package that stores its data exclusively in the cloud. Easy you would think. Indeed, but also for the cybercriminal.

The data is encrypted, right? Correct, but the cybercriminal does not need your data at all. All he has to do is ensure that you can no longer handle it!

Suppose a cybercriminal carries out a targeted attack on the servers where your accounting is located. Thanks to the Internet of Things, he has millions of devices available for his purpose: Blocking servers from accessing the Internet.

Then he can quietly ask for a ransom to give you back access to your own data. A major version of what we now know as ransomware, and he doesn't even need to have access to that server.

There are countermeasures to fend off such attacks, but they can take a while. And how long do you want to do without your accounting?

The same for emails or word processing. The principle is the same.

So far we haven't seen such things happen, but it's only a matter of time...

Call me a pessimist, I call it realist.