The public is being warned that a number of home devices, including "dodgy boxes", have been compromised following a large-scale global cyberattack. Grant Thornton said that the attack was launched by a botnet called "Kimwolf", which is made up of mainly "compromised Android-enabled televisions and TV streaming devices". Security researchers have warned that millions of these "low-cost" and "poorly secured devices" could be infected and remotely controlled by cybercriminals across the world. "For example, posing as a streaming provider with a prompt to review a show you have just watched. The public is being urged to take a proactive approach to home cybersecurity, including changing default passwords on all their smart devices and routers, as well as only purchasing reputable brands from legitimate vendors.

Source: Irish Examiner February 10, 2026 12:14 UTC