Chinese group to recall compromised webcams linked to cyber attack in US
The attack rendered Twitter, Spotify and other major websites unavailable
Hong Kong — A recall of webcams linked to a major cyber attack in the US last week will involve up to 10,000 of the compromised devices, Chinese manufacturer Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology said on Tuesday. Xiongmai said it would recall some surveillance cameras sold in the US on Monday after security researchers found they were targeted in the attack, which rendered Twitter, Spotify and dozens of other major websites unavailable. Friday’s cyber attack alarmed security experts as it was a new type of threat rooted in proliferation of simple devices such as webcams that often lack proper security. Hackers found a way to harness hundreds of thousands of them globally to flood a target with so much traffic it could not cope, cutting access to some of the world’s best known websites. The disruption came at a time of unprecedented fear about the cyber threat in the US, where hackers have breached political organisations and election agencies. Liu Yuexin, Xiongmai’s marketing director, said ...
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