Toothbrushes Used for DDoS Attacks

“To clarify, the topic of toothbrushes being used for DDoS attacks was presented during an interview as an illustration of a given type of attack, and it is not based on research from Fortinet or FortiGuard Labs. It appears that due to translations the narrative on this topic has been stretched to the point where hypothetical and actual scenarios are blurred.” And in case general context on the IoT botnet environment is of interest, FortiGuard Labs is currently observing the following activity: • The Mirai botnet has been dethroned from its #1 position. In the 2H 2022 Global Threat Landscape Report from FortiGuard Labs, which was released on February 22, 2023, Mirai sat at #1 in terms of Volume per Organization. Between Q3 and Q4 2023, Mirai volume of command-and-control detection subsided 36% and now currently sits at #5. • FortiGuard Labs has not observed Mirai or other IoT botnets target toothbrushes or similar embedded devices. -Fortinet

A dark-mode email screenshot from Fortinet clarifies that reports about toothbrushes being used in DDoS attacks were based on a hypothetical interview example, not Fortinet research. The joke is that sensational translations turned an illustration into a supposed literal “toothbrush botnet,” making this a reaction to exaggerated cybersecurity headlines and misinformation. EN: A dark-mode email screenshot from Fortinet clarifies that reports about toothbrushes being used in DDoS attacks were based on a hypothetical interview example, not Fortinet research. The joke is that sensational translations turned an illustration into a supposed literal “toothbrush botnet,” making this a reaction to exaggerated cybersecurity headlines and misinformation.

• @gentoomemes / 9258 2024-02-08