• Home
  • About Off The Grid
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
No Result
View All Result
Off The Grid News
Home Current Events

Hackers Used Something In Your House To Crash The Internet Last Week

by Off The Grid News Staff
in Current Events
Print Print
How Hackers Used Something In Your House To Crash The Internet Last Week

Image source: Pixabay.com

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on TruthEmail Article
How Hackers Used Something In Your House To Crash The Internet Last Week
Image source: Pixabay.com

WASHINGTON — Hackers now have the ability to turn any device connected to the Internet into a super cyber-weapon that can take down major websites, potentially causing havoc to the worldwide economy.

Experts say that a simple device you might have in your home — a webcam — was the key to the successful Oct. 21 attack that shut down several major websites, including Amazon, Twitter, Netflix and PayPal.

Hackers used a malware called Mirai to take over millions of Internet-enabled devices and launch a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Dyn, a domain name service (DNS). Because traffic on Amazon, Twitter and Netflix is routed through Dyn, those websites were not available for many users.

Discover How To Become Invisible In Today’s Surveillance State!

“A DDoS is when crooks use a large number of hacked or ill-configured systems to flood a target site with so much junk traffic that it can no longer serve legitimate visitors,” reporter and cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs wrote on his website. “DNS refers to Domain Name System services. DNS is an essential component of all Web sites, responsible for translating human-friendly Web site names like ‘example.com’ into numeric, machine-readable Internet addresses.”

The hackers used the malware and the Internet-enabled devices, such as webcams, to overwhelm Dyn with junk content, Krebs wrote. The attack also brought down Reddit, Spotify and SoundCloud.

Hackers implemented devices attached to the so-called Internet of Things — devices wired into the web. This can include everything from refrigerators to baby monitors to cars. Often, such devices are either not password protected, or the user never changed the default password.

The malware turns the computers into bots that launch attacks on computers, websites and systems. Up to 10 million devices may have been used in the attack, Tech Crunch reported. Most of the devices were infected through webcams made by Hangzhou Xiongmai, a Chinese electronics company. Xiongmai is recalling those cameras.

Common Devices Now a Security Threat

Any device connected to the Internet of Things, including the Amazon Echo, robots, coffee pots and even a pacemaker might be used in such a cyber-attack, The Daily Beast reported. Such devices often lack the security features found on computers.

Security cameras are vulnerable to such attacks because they are connected directly to the Internet, have no firewall and often still have the default password, The Daily Beast’s Robert Graham wrote. Hackers know the default passwords and even trade them in chatrooms. Graham thinks it took the bad guys around two months to create enough bots for the attack.

Sadly, such attacks likely will increase in the future. Gartner, an information technology research firm, estimates that there are 6.4 billion connected “things” in use this year and predicts the smart home ecosystem will only continue to grow, with as many as 20.8 billion devices online by 2020.

What is your reaction? Do you believe America is ready for a major cyber-attack? Share your thoughts in the section below:

You’re Being Watched: 7 Sneaky Ways The Government Is Tracking Your Every Move. Read More Here.

ShareTweetShareSend

Related Posts

Vanishing Epstein Evidence… Data Brokers… And the Rise of Citizen Investigators

Vanishing Epstein Evidence… Data Brokers… And the Rise of Citizen Investigators

by Bill Heid

The Power of Cell Phone Data in the Age of Secrecy In a world where billion-dollar federal agencies seem to...

Behind the Curtain: How Diddy’s Trial Exposed the Elite’s System of Protection and Control

Behind the Curtain: How Diddy’s Trial Exposed the Elite’s System of Protection and Control

by Bill Heid

Verdict Shocked No One Inside When Sean "Diddy" Combs walked free from the most serious charges in a high-profile federal...

Red, White, and Blue False Flags? Growing Fears of a July 4th Psyop

Red, White, and Blue False Flags? Growing Fears of a July 4th Psyop

by Bill Heid

Have Yourself a Merry Little Fatwa Please understand, I love this country and its rich history. But we must be...

Next Post
How To Grow Hops Indoors (Yes, Indoors)

How To Grow Hops Indoors (Yes, Indoors)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

The Green Movement in Historical Perspective

The Green Movement in Historical Perspective

12 Items You Should Stockpile Other Than Food and Water

12 Items You Should Stockpile Other Than Food and Water

The U.S. Government Wants To Take You Down With It

The U.S. Government Wants To Take You Down With It

TRENDING STORIES

  • bubonic plague

    Is Another Bubonic Plague Pandemic On The Horizon?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Waco Fertilizer Plant Explosion & A Look Back On The “Waco Massacre”

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Make Yourself 3 Times More Likely To Survive A Heart Attack

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • AI Surveillance Of Shoppers: Walmart’s Newest Tool To Grab Your Data

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Apocalyptic’ Microchip Implants Are Here – And Being Inserted Into People’s Hands

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Subscribe to our Insider Newsletter

Huge discounts on off-the-grid gear and life saving supplements.






‘Off The Grid News’ is an independent, weekly email newsletter and website that is crammed full of practical information on living and surviving off the grid. Advice you’ll never hear from the mainstream media.

  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Extreme Survival
  • Survival Gardening
  • Off-Grid Foods
  • Worldview
  • Natural Health
  • Survival Hunting
  • Privacy
  • Financial
  • Current Events
  • Self Defense
  • Home Defense
  • Pain-Free Living
  • Miscellaneous
  • Off Grid Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy   Terms & Conditions
No Result
View All Result
  • How-To
  • Grid Threats
  • Survival
  • Gardening
  • Food
  • Worldview
  • Health
  • Privacy
  • Hunting
  • Defense
  • Financial
  • News
  • Misc
  • Videos

© Copyright 2025 Off The Grid News.  All Rights Reserved.