According to security experts, the well-known hacking group Lizard Squad may have been using hacked home routers in order to run its LizardStresser service. The latter helps launch DDoS attacks to take online portals offline. The hackers started their LizardStresser a few weeks ago, shortly after their own attacks affected Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox Live services over Christmas.
The LizardStresser online service charges anyone between $6 and $500 to start their own attacks against any websites and services they want. The high-profile console attacks work as a large marketing scheme for the hackers’ commercial ambitions.
The industry experts believe that LizardStresser can run because many Internet users don’t change their default passwords on home routers. Apparently, the service draws on the bandwidth from the cracked home routers all over the world, because many of them are not protected by anything else except for factory-default usernames and passwords.
The security researchers point out that the malware used by the hackers with the purpose to build its network of “stresser bots” has been operating for about a year now, and is able to affect commercial routers at educational institutions and businesses, let alone households.
In the meantime, the security experts point out that aside from turning the infected host into attack zombies, the malware uses the infected system to scan the web for other devices that could allow access through the default credentials, like “admin/admin” or “login/password”. In other words, all infected hosts keep trying to spread the malware to other home Internet routers and other devices that are able to accept incoming connections (through telnet) with default settings.
A group of the researchers who desired to remain unnamed is currently cooperating with the law enforcement officials and Internet service providers in order to help take infected systems down. Their ultimate goal is to disrupt the LizardStresser botnet entirely.
While they are on their way to achieve their goal, all Internet users are recommended to make sure they changed the default credentials on their home broadband router, such as the username and password. In addition, it will appear useful to also encrypt the connection in case of using a wireless router.
The LizardStresser online service charges anyone between $6 and $500 to start their own attacks against any websites and services they want. The high-profile console attacks work as a large marketing scheme for the hackers’ commercial ambitions.
The industry experts believe that LizardStresser can run because many Internet users don’t change their default passwords on home routers. Apparently, the service draws on the bandwidth from the cracked home routers all over the world, because many of them are not protected by anything else except for factory-default usernames and passwords.
The security researchers point out that the malware used by the hackers with the purpose to build its network of “stresser bots” has been operating for about a year now, and is able to affect commercial routers at educational institutions and businesses, let alone households.
In the meantime, the security experts point out that aside from turning the infected host into attack zombies, the malware uses the infected system to scan the web for other devices that could allow access through the default credentials, like “admin/admin” or “login/password”. In other words, all infected hosts keep trying to spread the malware to other home Internet routers and other devices that are able to accept incoming connections (through telnet) with default settings.
A group of the researchers who desired to remain unnamed is currently cooperating with the law enforcement officials and Internet service providers in order to help take infected systems down. Their ultimate goal is to disrupt the LizardStresser botnet entirely.
While they are on their way to achieve their goal, all Internet users are recommended to make sure they changed the default credentials on their home broadband router, such as the username and password. In addition, it will appear useful to also encrypt the connection in case of using a wireless router.
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