Three million malware-infected smart toothbrushes used in Swiss DDoS attacks — botnet causes millions of euros in damages

Luvs2Spuj , 4 months ago

3 million people bought a smart toothbrush, is the most interesting take away from this for me.

Cyberflunk , 4 months ago

h4x0r.host/post/98367

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Albbi , 4 months ago

I’m just glad I saw that one first.

NocturnalMorning , 4 months ago

I don’t understand this whole internet of things crap going on, my Bluetooth headphones require a damn app, and now my toothbrush does? This is getting out of hand. Everything doesn’t need an internet connection.

fastandcurious , 4 months ago

Why the fuck do toothbrushes need to connect phones? I haven’t used them but shouldn’t they just need an occasional recharge, am I given some sort of bacteria stats or have we become so dumb that we can’t use anything without connecting it to our phones?!

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 4 months ago

I bought an electric brush when my dentist recommended it, and I could find exactly 2 models that didn't have some stupid bluetooth or wifi or whatever.

Eventually they'll all have it, and I'll be paying for something I don't and never wanted.

Marx called this sort of thing "alienation."

fastandcurious , 4 months ago

What advantage does his have over a normal toothbrush assuming you brush intelligently with the old school brush

Baines , 4 months ago

unless you brush with two fingers it is gentler

Sabata11792 , 4 months ago

A normal toothbrush produces no marketable data or passive income.

Semi-Hemi-Demigod , 4 months ago

The head on an electric brush moves faster than I could ever move my hand, so my teeth definitely feel cleaner with less effort. It's also got a pressure sensor that keeps me from brushing too hard (which is a thing apparently) and a timer that makes sure I spend an equal amount of time on each quadrant of my mouth, which is a problem for me with regular toothbrushes.

snooggums , 4 months ago

An electric one, as in with a motor, is more consistent since you just need to move it at a steady pace. Plus it can do multiple directions at the same time and get in the nooks and crannies a little better. Not a ton better, just a bit.

Anything beyond an electric motor with an on/off switch adds nothing.

greybeard , 4 months ago

Timers and feed back are useful as well, but you don’t need an app for that, just a simple circuit and a beeper, and maybe some sort of an accelerometer.

kjake , 4 months ago

Fake news

infeeeee , 4 months ago

Source: cyberplace.social/…/111886558855943676

mp3 , 4 months ago

I dunno

news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39281939#39283040

The translation is correct regarding the articles claim of the stories legitimacy.

To expand on the initial dramatized story:

Sie steht zu Hause im Badezimmer, doch sie ist Teil einer gross angelegten Cyberattacke. Die elektrische Zahnbürste ist mit Java programmiert, und unbemerkt haben Kriminelle darauf eine Schadsoftware installiert – wie auf 3 Millionen anderen Zahnbürsten auch. Ein Befehl genügt, und die ferngesteuerten Zahnbürsten rufen gleichzeitig die Website einer Schweizer Firma auf. Die Seite bricht zusammen und ist für vier Stunden lahm gelegt. Es entsteht ein Schaden in Millionenhöhe.

The article claims that an electric toothbrush with Java-based software was the target of malware. Criminals then leveraged this malware to execute a ddos from the toothbrushes against the website of a swiss business.

The article further claims this led to a downtime for around five hours with expect damages in the millions.

janNatan , 4 months ago

Sure, they lost millions of euros. But they gained a valuable lesson in cyber security.

surewhynotlem , 4 months ago

Tom’s Hardware? Are they no longer reputable? I remember them being THE source for objective hardware reviews.

snooggums , 4 months ago

Pretty sure they got bought out around 2010ish which is when they went to complete shit.