The Friday cyber security attacks are just a foretaste of worse disruptions, as more devices are connected to the internet, according to experts.
The attack, which affected a number of major websites, was said to have used internet enabled cameras to launch a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. According to reports, the attackers exploited manufacturer set passwords that weren’t changed by their users.
"This is just the beginning. There's more coming, sadly—perhaps a power plant," said Sanjay Sarma, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"It's very serious," added Jason Hong, associate professor in the Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science, talking about last week's attack. "There are just so many of these devices that are relatively weak and insecure."
Further, experts are worried that these devices will be used to launch attacks that are more disruptive and bigger in magnitude, such as paralyzing critical infrastructure, including telecommunications and transportation systems, and power grids.
Babak Beheshti, associate dean and professor of New York Institute of Technology, said, “Intrusion is much more devastating, because you're inside the network -- the damage could be permanent.”
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