Security vulnerabilities found in the software used by millions of connected devices might lead to a catastrophic shutdown of the entire digital world in coming days, say a research carried out by ForeScout Technologies.
A report released by the firm on Tuesday says that hackers are prying on millions of connected devices that help them penetrate businesses and home computer networks across the world.
“The good news is that there is no evidence for now,”, says Elisa Constante.
US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(CISA) fully supports the report and has issued a red flag to manufactures involved in the production of various smart appliances such as thermometers to smart plugs and smart printers.
CISA says that the most affected are the consumer appliances like smart TVs, refrigerators and CCTV cameras. The security agency has also issued warning to those operating critical infrastructure like power utilities, water distribution services and the management linked to automated buildings.
In an advisory issued early this week, CISA has advised all connected device users to test their defense-line against all cyber threats. Stressing on the fact, the company has also issued a separate advisory to agencies operating the industrial control systems and has asked them to keep their tools away from internet.
It is up to the device manufactures to keep their products and services updated with security fixes as it mitigates risks arising through flaws that can be easily exploited by hackers says Awais Rashid, a computer scientist at Bristol University in Britain who has analyzed the report released by Forescout.
