The Kindle e-readers from Amazon are probably one of the few devices that could be hacked. Researchers from the cybersecurity firm Check Point discovered flaws that could allow attackers to gain access to a Kindle. The threat may not appear to be frightening, but it can allow hackers to take control of locally connected networks as well as steal data from Kindle.
The exploitation is simple because it only requires the user to open a malicious Kindle e-book. Once the malicious e-book is opened, hackers have access to your Kindle and can delete your entire library as well as steal information such as your Amazon credentials. Hackers could even turn your Kindle into a malicious bot, giving them access to other devices connected to the Wi-Fi.
It’s also simple to create e-books that users can read on their Kindle e-readers. Self-published authors can upload their e-books to the Kindle Store’s self-publishing service. There’s also Amazon’s “send to kindle” service, which makes sending e-books simple. The fact that e-books are being used to install malicious software is unheard of, makes it only easy for hackers.
According to Check Point, this Kindle exploitation could be a simple operation for hackers to target specific audiences. It could be based on user demographics, such as choosing popular e-books to target a specific group of people who speak the same language or dialect.
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