Security Architecture, Endpoint/Device Security, IoT, Threat Management, Threat Management, Endpoint/Device Security, Endpoint/Device Security, Endpoint/Device Security

Hacking Nemo: Adversary compromises smart fish tank at casino

A new report has revealed that an unknown actor recently succeeded in hacking into a tank... Relax, not the military kind. Rather, it was a "smart" fish tank operated by a North American casino.

As silly as this sounds, the attack demonstrated the security vulnerabilities posed by Internet of Things products, as the adversary was able to exfiltrate data from the tank and send it to a device in Finland.

According to machine-learning cybersecurity company Darktrace, the casino's fish tank contains advanced sensors that automatically regulate temperature, salinity, and feeding schedules. But Darktrace's threat detection technology determined that the tank, which was connected to an isolated VPN, was sending anomalous data transfers to a rare external destination.

The incident was one among several unusual cyberattacks featuring advanced technologies or sophisticated methods that were highlighted by Darktrace in its newly released 2017 Global Threat Report. In another IoT-based attack, an adversary compromised an architectural firm's smart drawing pads in order to launch distributed denial of service attacks against entertainment companies, design companies, and government bodies.

"We are seeing new areas of vulnerability arise as modern companies embrace the Internet of Things," Darktrace stated in its report. "The proliferation of new connected objects multiplies the inroads to critical networks and data, yet organizations often have remarkably poor visibility of these hidden outposts of their networks."

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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