In just a few hours, over 2000 IoT or Internet of Things devices have been bricked. This is because of a malware which they have been affected by. This malware is known as a Silex Malware and it is very scary to think about. Just imagine that you have an IoT device and your devices start bricking on its own. This could be your refrigerator or your washing machine or anything else.
The same thing was seen in the devices way back in 2017 when a BrickerBot malware ruined millions of devices. Now, we are seeing something similar but the impact is not that wide right now. Due to this Silex malware, the entire firmware from these IoT devices is being wiped.
However, it is fascinating to find out that the Silex malware came into operation just three or fours ago and it has already bricked so many devices. Also, the creator of this malware is known and he claims that the attacks will intensify in the coming days.
A researcher claims that Silex malware works on the basis of IoT device’s storage, dropping firewall rules, removing the network configuration, and then halting the device.
Well, this malware will not damage your IoT device’s circuit but it will definitely have a huge impact nonetheless. Basically, the circuit will not be damaged but it will remain unusable as everything gets cleaned. Now, this malware could also cause a pile of IoT devices in the coming days because owners would feel that the device is dead. In reality, the devices would be affected by malware and not dead.
Also, the scary thing about Silex malware is that it might also damage Linux servers which have their Telnet ports open. Even if they are secured with poor or commonly used credentials, they might be in serious danger.