Recently, the internet buzzed with a seemingly far-fetched story: a DDoS attack involving not computers or smartphones, but electric toothbrushes. Yes, you read that right!
According to a piece by Aargauer Zeitung, a source from Fortinet allegedly unveiled a shocking event where three million electric toothbrushes were hijacked. The malware-infected devices were said to be used in a massive DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, targeting a Swiss company.
“Fortinet provided specific details: information about how long the attack took down a Swiss company’s website, an order of magnitude of how great the damage was. Fortinet did not want to reveal which company it was out of consideration for its customers. The text was submitted to Fortinet for verification before publication. The statement that this was a real case that really happened was not objected to,” he stated.
Dissecting DDoS Attacks
DDoS attacks are notorious in the cybersecurity world. They work by overwhelming a website with traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. Typically, these attacks exploit compromised devices like routers and IoT gadgets, using them as a botnet army to launch the assault.
The concept of using electric toothbrushes, devices usually connected via Bluetooth and not directly to the internet, adds a layer of skepticism. For such a large-scale hacking event to take place, it would necessitate a sophisticated attack on the supply chain, distributing compromised firmware updates directly to the devices, but there’s no evidence to suggest such an occurrence either.
Therefore, the news outlet’s claim, “One command is enough, and the remote-controlled toothbrushes simultaneously access the website of a Swiss company. The site collapses and is paralyzed for four hours. Millions of dollars in damage is caused,” sounds like something out of a cyberpunk novel rather than reality.
Fortinet’s Clarification
As the story gained traction, Fortinet stepped in to clarify. Their statement made it clear that the electric toothbrush scenario was never meant to be taken as a factual event.
“To clarify, the topic of toothbrushes being used for DDoS attacks was presented during an interview as an illustration of a given type of attack, and it is not based on research from Fortinet or FortiGuard Labs,” Fortinet explained. It seems the tale was a hypothetical example, lost in translation and blown out of proportion.
Final Word
While it’s pretty unlikely your toothbrush will turn into a tool for digital mischief, this story is a quirky reminder to stay sharp and ensure your internet-connected devices are secure and protected with the latest updates and solid passwords.
Anas Hasan
February 16, 2024
3 months ago
