Major websites including Netflix, Amazon, Twitter, Reddit, and others sputtered out on Oct. 21, as a cyberattack with record-breaking power brought down Dyn, an internet infrastructure company that, among other services, provides domain name services to keep websites running.
The attack should have actually been expected—and we can expect similar attacks to follow in the future.
An unknown group of hackers launched the attack with a new form of malware known as Mirai, which was posted on the internet on Oct. 1 for anyone to download and use. As Epoch Times reported on Oct. 6, the malware allows just about anyone to launch attacks capable of bringing down portions of the internet.
Mirai is unique in how it pulls its strength for attacks. It infects a massive network of devices connected to the internet—such as baby monitors, security cameras, and Wi-Fi thermostats—and uses processing power from these devices to overwhelm internet servers with fake traffic, forcing them offline.
A movement is now underway to secure devices used in the attacks, often called internet-of-things (IoT) devices, which often have little or no built-in security to guard against hackers.
