Trend Micro Finds IoT Is A Hot Topic in Cybercriminal Underground

Global underground analysis reveals monetization of IoT attacks is increasing

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HONG
KONG, CHINA - Media
OutReach - 12 September 2019 - Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704),
a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released new research
detailing a fast-growing market for IoT attacks. Cybercriminals from around the
world are actively discussing how to compromise connected devices, and how to
leverage these devices for moneymaking schemes.

Trend Micro Research analyzed forums
in the Russian, Portuguese, English, Arabic, and Spanish language-based
underground markets to determine how cybercriminals are abusing and monetizing
connected devices. The results reveal that the most advanced criminal markets
are Russian- and Portuguese-speaking forums, in which financially driven
attacks are most prominent. In these forums, cybercriminal activity is focused
on selling access to compromised devices — mainly routers, webcams and printers
— so they can be leveraged for attacks.

“We’ve lifted the lid on the IoT
threat landscape to find that cybercriminals are well on their way to creating
a thriving marketplace for certain IoT-based attacks and services,” said Steve
Quane, executive vice president of network defense and hybrid cloud security
for Trend Micro. “Criminals follow the money — always. The IoT market will
continue to grow, especially with landscape changes like 5G. While IoT attacks
are still in their infancy, we also found criminals discussing how to leverage
industrial equipment for the same gain. Enterprises must be ready to protect
their Industry 4.0 environments.”

According to Trend Micro’s findings,
most conversations and active monetization schemes are focused on consumer
devices. However, discussions on how to discover and compromise connected
industrial machinery are also occurring, especially the vital programmable
logic controllers (PLCs) used to control large-scale manufacturing equipment.
The most likely business plan to monetize attacks against these industrial
devices involves digital extortion attacks that threaten production downtime.

Additionally, the report predicts an
increase in IoT attack toolkits targeting a broader range of consumer devices,
such as virtual reality devices. The opportunities for attackers will also
multiply as more devices are connected to the internet, driven by 5G
implementations.

Trend Micro urges manufacturers to
partner with IoT security experts to mitigate cyber-related risks from the
design phase. End users and integrators should also gain visibility and control
over connected devices to be aware of and curb their cyber risk.

The full
report, The Internet of Things in the Criminal Underground, can be found
here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/the-internet-of-things-in-the-cybercrime-underground.

About Trend Micro

Trend
Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make
the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for
consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data
centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work
together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat
defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster
protection. With more than 6,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world’s
most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to
secure their journey to the cloud. For
more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.hk.