Huge Cyber Attack Disupts Internet In Liberia
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published November 04, 2016 | 07:30 PM
MONROVIA,, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 04th Nov, 2016 ) - A massive cyber attack targeting Liberia's single broadband link has taken the country's internet intermittently offline for the last week, web security experts said Friday.
The characteristics of the attack point to the same type of cyber weapon that crippled several major websites based in the United States in late October. Using software called "Mirai", hackers deployed a network of infected computers known only as "Botnet 14" to repeatedly overload the country's broadband network, taking Liberia offline for minutes at a time, internet security expert Kevin Beaumont told AFP.
The hackers took control of 'internet of things' devices such as CCTV cameras or digital video recorders plugged in to offices and homes worldwide, he explained, to direct the massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.
DDoS attacks involve flooding websites with more traffic than they can handle, making them difficult to access or taking them offline entirely. "By hacking these devices you can cause them to attack another location, or country," Beaumont said.
The UK-based expert said the reason why Liberia was targeted was as yet unknown but its vulnerable internet infrastructure and lack of technical expertise made it an useful way of testing out even larger attacks.
"There is only one internet link to the country for broadband, so it might be the ideal test bed for attacks," he said. The vast majority of Liberia's internet users access the web via their smartphone, meaning they are unaffected by a targeted attack on broadband services.
But the Network World website reported Liberian mobile phone service providers themselves had been affected, as they rely on cable-based internet to power their businesses. The outages would only register for a few seconds but are devastating for companies that require constant connections to servers in order to function.
October's US incident saw domain name services company Dynamic Network Services Inc, or Dyn, suffer successive attacks, causing outages for hours for millions of users of high-profile websites including Twitter, Spotify and Netflix.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Dar for joint action to counter Islamophobia in context of Israeli aggression ag ..
Azam Tarar urges for effective implementation of Action Plan for Human Rights
PAF cadets' graduation ceremony held
One-day national seminar "Great Power Competition: Challenges and Opportunities ..
10 firms submit LoIs for PIA: Aleem Khan
Saudi Arabia launches Nusuk pilgrim card for the Hajj of 2024
High Commissioner Hawkins hosts reception to mark 'Australia Day in Spring'
PM forms inquiry committee to probe matter of wheat import
E-Evidence system inaugurated in Bahawalnagar district courts
Bitterness at UCLA as Gaza protest cleared
Kenya, Tanzania brace for cyclone as heavy rains persist
DC reviews seven-day anti-polio drive in Federal Capital
More Stories From World
-
Bitterness at UCLA as Gaza protest cleared
6 hours ago -
Kenya, Tanzania brace for cyclone as heavy rains persist
6 hours ago -
UK police arrest 45 at protest against migrant removals
6 hours ago -
Macron floats Ukraine troop deployment if frontline breached
6 hours ago -
Gaza needs biggest post-war reconstruction effort since WWII: UN
6 hours ago -
Kids study in overheated slum as Philippines shuts schools
8 hours ago
-
Macron floats Ukraine troop deployment if frontline breached
8 hours ago -
Biden says 'order must prevail' on US campuses amid protests
8 hours ago -
Death toll from rain, flooding in southern Brazil rises to 13
8 hours ago -
US says 'deeply concerned' by Georgia's 'foreign influence' bill
8 hours ago -
Kenya, Tanzania brace for cyclone as heavy rains persist
8 hours ago -
Gaza post-war reconstruction at scale unseen since WWII, UN says
8 hours ago