The story of three million electric toothbrushes hacked and used to launch a DDoS attack has sparked skepticism among cybersecurity experts. The story, which originated from cybersecurity company Fortinet, went viral and raised questions about its authenticity.
Last week, Swiss news site Aargauer Zeitung reported that three million tampered toothbrushes were involved in a cyberattack. The case, brought by Fortinet, a global leader in cybersecurity, quickly gained traction and was featured in international media outlets such as the Independent and the Times of India.
However, the story was met with skepticism, with some experts labeling it “pure fiction” and “a made-up example.” Others claimed that there was no evidence to suggest that such an attack ever occurred. Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont even highlighted that the story was being used as propaganda in Russian Telegram chats.
Contradictory statements
Fortinet issued a statement, carried by several media outlets including BleepingComputer, that said: “To clarify, the topic of using toothbrushes for DDoS attacks was presented during an interview as an illustration of a certain type of attack, and not “It is based on research. from Fortinet or FortiGuard Labs. It seems that due to translations, the narrative on this topic has been stretched to the point where hypothetical and real scenarios become confused.”
However, the following day, the author of the original story in Aargauer Zeitung disputed this, saying: “Fortinet provided specific details: information on how long the attack on a Swiss company's website lasted; an order of magnitude of how big it was. the damage. Fortinet did not want to reveal which company it was out of consideration for its customers. The text was sent to Fortinet for verification before publication. The claim that this was a real case that really happened was not objected to.
The case of the three million toothbrush DDoS attack remains a mystery for now, leaving us all wondering exactly where the truth lies.
