Even your fridge is at risk of cyber crime

While many tech users are generally aware of the threat cyber criminals can pose to PCs and mobile phones, the international police organisation has highlighted how all devices that can connect to the internet - known as the Internet of Things (IoT) - are potentially at risk of a cyber attack.

It said cyber attacks targeting IoTs, which can include smart home devices, have increased significantly in the past two years.

Evidence

Police and cyber investigators are having to develop their skills to learn how to collect evidence from connected devices other than computers and phones.

To help tackle this new threat, 43 investigators and digital forensics experts from 23 countries took part in investigating a simulated cyber attack on a bank launched through an IoT device as part of Interpol's latest Digital Security Challenge.

In the scenario, cyber criminals attacked a bank in an attempt to steal large sums of money, with investigators discovering malware installed by the criminals was contained in an email attachment sent via a hacked webcam, making it harder to identify the source of the attack.

Once the teams accessed the digital data held by the compromised webcam, they were able to identify the command and control server - a remote machine controlled by an attacker.

The outcome means investigators can identify technical vulnerabilities in servers to help prevent further attacks.

Noboru Nakatani, the executive director of Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, a research centre for the identification of crimes, said that the exercise would assist police in conducting real-world investigations more effectively.