There was a massive internet outage on Friday. Shutting down access to many popular sites like Amazon, Netflix, Reddit, and more than 1200 domains across the internet. The attack was, in part, coordinated by the use of Internet of Things devices - which is basically home routers, security cameras, etc.

The DDoS attack force included 50,000 to 100,000 internet of things (IoT) devices such as cameras and DVRs enslaved in the Mirai botnet, as well as an unknown number of other devices that are parts of other botnets, says Dale Drew, CTO of Level 3. He theorizes the mastermind behind the attack hired multiple botnets to compile the number wanted for the attacks.

This article is moderately technical, but explains how it unfolded.

The attack does demonstrate just how vulnerable the internet really is, and also how vulnerable we are to massive cyber attacks. We are essentially at the mercy of internet terrorists, which means we have to be vigilant, aware, and keeping security and disaster recovery at the forefront of our business conversations.

Take a look at these other articles to learn more:

Why do hackers user Denial of Service (and what is it)?

What happened?

How did the IoT devices participated in the attack?