Time to spin the wheel of pwnage! This week, malware can infect your…. Android set-top box! Set-top tuner boxes have become the infection vector in the spread of Internet of Things malware. This came out of a report from mobile security house WootCloud, which said its team has caught a botnet called Ares, targeting Android entertainment boxes from Huawei, Cubetek, and Qezy Media. The WootCloud malware detectives …
Don't most people use devices like this on a NATed subnet (i.e. the way most routers are set up)? So unless the STB is actively opening port forwards via UPnP then they can't be reached from the open Internet. These stories always seem more like publicity for the boutiques that release them. I'd certainly never heard of the one here!
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I wish all of these security announcements would make that point about subnets clearer instead of obscurely mentioning the possibility of malware scanning the internet for directly connected boxes.
It would also be nice if they gave links to specific instructions that most users would want to follow to secure their systems, instead of vague warnings to increase security without details, often appearing to suggest measures that would cripple functionality.
"The attacks on IoT devices in particular have proven startlingly effective in recent years ..."
Really? Folks around here have been screaming from the proverbial rooftops since this whole IoT (remember: The "S" is for security) fiasco was proposed. This is EXACTLY what any intelligent, honest, & experienced person in the industry has been saying would happen.
Icon because crying in it seems to be the only viable option. Which we also stated.
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