Global underground analysis reveals monetization of IoT attacks is increasing

HONGKONG, CHINA - MediaOutReach - 12 September 2019 - Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704),a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released new researchdetailing a fast-growing market for IoT attacks. Cybercriminals from around theworld are actively discussing how to compromise connected devices, and how toleverage these devices for moneymaking schemes.

Trend Micro Research analyzed forumsin the Russian, Portuguese, English, Arabic, and Spanish language-basedunderground markets to determine how cybercriminals are abusing and monetizingconnected devices. The results reveal that the most advanced criminal marketsare Russian- and Portuguese-speaking forums, in which financially drivenattacks are most prominent. In these forums, cybercriminal activity is focusedon selling access to compromised devices -- mainly routers, webcams and printers-- so they can be leveraged for attacks.

"We've lifted the lid on the IoTthreat landscape to find that cybercriminals are well on their way to creatinga thriving marketplace for certain IoT-based attacks and services," said SteveQuane, executive vice president of network defense and hybrid cloud securityfor Trend Micro. "Criminals follow the money -- always. The IoT market willcontinue to grow, especially with landscape changes like 5G. While IoT attacksare still in their infancy, we also found criminals discussing how to leverageindustrial equipment for the same gain. Enterprises must be ready to protecttheir Industry 4.0 environments."

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

Additionally, the report predicts anincrease in IoT attack toolkits targeting a broader range of consumer devices,such as virtual reality devices. The opportunities for attackers will alsomultiply as more devices are connected to the internet, driven by 5Gimplementations.

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

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

About Trend Micro

TrendMicro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to makethe world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions forconsumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for datacenters, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products worktogether to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threatdefense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, fasterprotection. With more than 6,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world'smost advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations tosecure their journey to the cloud. Formore information, visit www.trendmicro.com.hk.