Today, the systems that hackers can infiltrate are not limited to your computer. For example, hackers who want to access your identity information can gain access to your computer by hacking things such as household items. It is even known that hackers who do this just for fun, for ‘fun’, hack baby monitors and scare babies at night.
Now, hackers’ new favorite seems to be ‘electronic cigarettes’ (e-cigarettes), an alternative to cigarettes. According to the statements from experts, electronic cigarettes may have become the new favorite of hackers on the cybercrime war front.
E-cigarettes are being modified to host malware
According to a new report from EDGE Vaping, a company that manufactures e-cigarettes and refill cartridges Hackers can modify e-cigarette devices to host malware in order to gain access to personal computers.
Although many people charge their electronic devices through wall sockets, some people use their computers via USB cables for this process, giving hackers a great opportunity to infect your system from vaping.
As standard, e-cigarettes have a fairly small amount of storage that is insufficient to accommodate typical malware types. For example, WannaCry, a famous malware, is said to be 100 times larger than the storage capacity of an average e-cigarette. But let’s face it, EDGE Vaping says it’s possible for a hacker to change the form of an e-cigarette device without the owner noticing and add an additional chip to the device to increase its storage capacity.
This idea is supported by security expert Ross Bevington, who confirmed that it is possible for a cybercriminal to use code that disguises an e-cigarette as a traditional computer peripheral, such as a keyboard.
On the other hand, Bevington believes that the probability of such an attack is not very high as long as precautions are taken. On this topic, Bevington notes, “You should be more concerned about running dangerous software and keeping your machine up to date with the latest software updates.”
How can I protect my computer from e-cigarettes infected with malware?
With all this, EDGE Vaping states that a seemingly harmless device such as an e-cigarette can also be turned into a tool for malware or ransomware, and this is a reminder to always be careful when plugging any device into a personal device. “People should be aware of the risks that can arise when connecting unknown devices to their computers,” EDGE Vaping IT Head Mike Williams reminds on the subject. It should be emphasized that However, good practices can still be instilled to ensure security with electronic devices. Make sure you use reliable devices and software, and only buy vapes from reputable vendors.” uses expressions.
This means that the only way to prevent hackers from reaching your computer from electronic cigarettes is to, as always, protect your devices with reliable, robust anti-virus software and keep your system up-to-date. As Williams points out, as long as your computer systems are well protected and you buy your electronic cigarette device from a reliable place, you don’t seem to have much to fear. In addition, instead of charging your electronic cigarette devices from your computer with USB cables, charging from sockets in a classical way is another precaution that can be taken.
30674
