Friday, 28 October 2016

Insecure internet-connected "honeypot" toaster hacked within an hour

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Andrew McGill's internet-connected toaster isn't really a toaster: it's a "honeypot" designed to resemble the insecure "internet of things" gadgets— cameras, LED lightbulbs, fridges, etc—that make up the vast botnets behind recent internet attacks. The honeypot was hacked within an hour.

I switched on the server at 1:12 p.m. Wednesday, fully expecting to wait days—or weeks—to see a hack attempt.

Wrong! The first one came at 1:53 p.m.

Lots of the hacking attempts use the password xc3511, the factory default of many old webcams. Amazing. I love the little bot's eye view of the toaster!