WiFi Hacking Groups

Hackers can turn your gadgets into botnets and use them to conduct criminal activities, cyber security experts have warned.

19:05 29 September 2017

A new report has warned that hackers could turn your gadgets into botnets, slow down your WiFi and cause your devices to suddenly crash. Online security experts added that cyber crooks are now taking over millions of gadgets, which range from iPhones to baby monitors, to conduct their illegal activities.

 

Researchers from Norton Security found that 6.7million more bots joined the global botnet in 2016. These are internet connected devices infected with malware. They are used by hackers to remotely take control of many devices all at the same time.

 

Candid Wueest from Norton said: 'In 2016, we saw cybercriminals making increasing use of smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices to strengthen their botnet ranks.

 

'Servers also offer a much larger bandwidth capacity for a DDoS attack than traditional consumer PCs.'

 

He added: 'More than 13.8 million people in the UK were victims of online crime in the past year, and bots and botnets are a key tool in the cyber attacker's arsenal.

 

'It's not just computers that are providing criminals with their robot army.