Malware that kills. Fact or fiction?

Malware that kills isn’t the thing of Hollywood anymore, warns a leading security analyst.

In an episode of popular TV thriller Homeland, cyber-terrorists were able to hack into the pacemaker of the US Vice President, causing it to fail, consequently causing his death.

Whilst Homeland may have showcased the usual “Hollywoodised” techno-spiel that so rarely applies to the more mundane and tedious realities of cybercrime, experts are warning that in this instance, fiction may not be so far off the mark.

Senior Bitdefender analyst Bogdan Botezatu warns in a recent article “How long before ransomware targets sensitive devices, including cars and medical implants?” and it’s a question that becomes more worrying as The Internet of Things begins to take shape.

To clarify two terms in that above paragraph – The Internet of Things refers to the increased connectivity given to everyday objects to allow them to communicate over a network and share information about themselves. Basically, giving your microwave Wi-Fi.
Any gadget aficionados will be more than aware that it is already taking shape. Long gone are the days where it was just your computer or laptop that could connect to the Internet. Now phones, TVs, medical implants, even your car can plug in to cyberspace, and the number of everyday objects that can do the same is only going to get bigger.

Ransomware on the other hand refers to malware that holds a user to ransom. The name isn’t truly inspired. Most popularly ransomware strains like 2013’s Cryptolocker were able to encrypt a user’s data and demand a ransom for the decryption key. With anonymous and near-impossible-to-trace payment methods available in the form of Bitcoin, the digital extortion scene is practically set.

And if you combine the developing ransomware scene with the rapid development of the Internet of Things, you have an alarming concoction that could potentially change the face of online security.

To repeat the question above, how long will it be, before ransomware targets sensitive devices, including cars and medical implants?

Ransomware strains like Cryptolocker demanded a ransom via the anonymous BitCoin.

A brief look into history can only conclude that no Internet device is truly “hack-proof” or 100% secure. The cyber-security industry has inherently been a reactive one, learning and developing primarily through the ingenuity of the very people trying to hack it. We think we’ve created a truly secure environment, hackers prove us wrong. Time and time again. Security systems are ultimately created by humans, humans are prone to failures such as oversight, and no one can presume to account for everything.

Heartbleed. Cryptolocker & GameoverZeus. The iCloud celebrity leaks. The list goes on.

Botezatu warns that the landscape may shift from the comparatively small potatoes of holding a user’s data to ransom and move onto something much more drastic – how long will it be before pacemaker owners receive extortion emails holding their very lives to ransom? Pay up or your pacemaker stops.

If it does become feasible, criminals wouldn’t even have to do the difficult work. Bluff threats could potentially achieve a high success rate.

A final stark warning from Botezat – “There’s going to be an incident so massive, it’ll make everyone rethink their security online”

Do you have any thoughts? Let us know below.

Bogdan Botezatu is a senior analyst at BitDefender, our editors choice security software for 2015. Click here for our readers discount.