Things just got a whole lot easier for cybercriminals, research reveals

The Internet of Things (IoT) could, very soon, become even more of a land of opportunity for hackers – this statement was explained and supported in new research undertaken by Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Natalija Vlajic and her undergraduate student Daiwai Zhou, and published in IEEE Computer magazine’s special 2018 issue on cybertrust.

The researchers discovered how botnets composed exclusively of IoT devices could make cyberattacks on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) much easier for cybercriminals. Webcams with little to no firewall protection are vulnerable, the researchers emphasize.

The stakes are high. DDoS attacks are considered one of the most serious threats to the operation of individual organizations and businesses, as well as to the stability of the entire internet. Vlajic presses for action against the tsunami of IoT-based DDoS attacks anticipated to arrive in the coming years.

Vlajic sits down with Brainstorm to discuss this research, which was funded by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the implications and the possible impact of these findings. She brings to the table a vast knowledge in IoT, computer security, user privacy, machine learning, data mining, sensor networks and mobile communications.

Check out the female-only edition of Brainstorm, YFile’s research-focused newsletter to read Vlajic’s full Q&A.