Some 100 closed circuit TV and digital video systems connected to an IoT network in Korea were found to have been used as hacking tools, raising alarm about potential exploitation and damage amid IoT proliferation in the manufacturing, healthcare, and energy sectors.

Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Wednesday announced some 11,700 IoT devices (100 in Korea, 11,600 elsewhere) were infected by Mozi botnet, leading to hacking or unauthorized access to public organizations.

Some infected devices were used as a transit point for distributing malware for cryptocurrency mining. Those devices include routers, CCTVs, video recorders, and PC-embedded signages. 

Malicious code 'Mozi Botnet' began its activities from the end of 2019. According to a security trend report published in September last year by security company PIOLINK, Mozi botnet was distributed to about 50,000 sites as of that time. 

Although there has been no apparent hacking damage caused by Mozi botnet in Korea yet, vigilance should be raised versus the danger of DDoS attack that can disrupt the normal traffic of targeted servers or networks, according to the NIS.

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