Hackers are determined, persistent, clever, adaptable, stealthy and merciless. They will exploit any tragedy, even the current COVID-19 pandemic, and take advantage of any vulnerability in your network.
Sometimes hacks can be incredibly complex and sophisticated, but most hackers take the path of least resistance and attack networks through phishing, weak passwords, unpatched systems and social engineering. And sometimes hacks can be just plain weird. Here are eight examples:
1. Data stolen through fish tank
Cybersecurity firm Darktrace made quite a splash in 2017 when it announced that it had discovered hackers using an internet-connected fish tank to steal data from an unidentified North American casino. Apparently, the aquarium tank was equipped with IoT sensors connected to a PC that monitored and regulated the water temperature and the cleanliness of the tank and controlled the feeding of the fish.
“Someone used the fish tank to get into the network, and once they were in the fish tank, they scanned and found other vulnerabilities and moved laterally to other places in the network,” says Justin Fier, director for cyber intelligence and analysis at Darktrace.
