Without realizing it, the Internet of Things (IoT) has changed the way we interact with our devices since millions and millions of users have connectivity every day.
This technology is not without threats. One of them has to do with DNS. IBM’s X-Force and ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) have released notices detailing threats to DNS through large IoT botnets.
The ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) warns that a significant number of IoT devices would have access to an IP address and use DNS services to function. In this way, the increasingly growing importance of DNS services is demonstrated not only for traditional internet connectivity, but also for operating devices of all kinds, such as appliances.
What threat does the IoT-DNS union represent?
A large number of IoT devices can make denial of service attacks to the DNS servers to which they request, causing their unavailability.
This results in the generation of numerous DDoS attacks by IoT botnets. Recall that a botnet is generated from an infected device that happens to spread to other devices. These DDoS attacks are the most popular and with the most catastrophic results.
Botnets are generated and grow on a large scale. In a matter of hours, you can move from hundreds of devices to millions. As IoT devices grow as technology, botnets too, which can result in more and more attacks, especially to DNS servers.
However, these attacks are not always intentional. They are done by randomly searching for domain names in order to have network availability. These searches, multiplied by potential billions of devices, can force DNS servers. The main consequence and damage it causes is that these devices do not work.
The most worrying thing about botnets is the ease with which they develop, due to the automation of several of its phases. The risk of an infection of millions of IoT devices globally should not be ignored.
Almost every malicious attack has the ultimate goal of earning money or fame through the damages they may cause. It is no accident that every year, attacks on corporations and individuals are reported and documented, leaving economic damages of hundreds of millions of dollars, which can easily reach billions of dollars.
