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Amazon Kindle collections

Amazon Kindle represents the world’s most popular e-reading resource. When the company’s e-reader emerged in 2007, listed for the price of $399, it sold out in six hours. Traditionalists fretted that e-readers would precipitate the beginning of the end for physical books. Since then, sales of physical books have decreased. Digital reading options are in-demand. What’s also in-demand? A malware-free reading experience.

Amazon Kindle update

In April, Amazon addressed a critical vulnerability present in its Kindle book reader platform. The bug could have enabled hackers to upload malicious content, which would then prompt readers to download the files. In turn, the files would propagate malware.

The corrupt code would give hackers full control over the device. As a result, the potential for account manipulation and theft loomed large. Moreover, hackers could have indirectly gained access to payment details.

Check Point Research (CPR) identified these security flaws. CPR disclosed their findings to Amazon, which then published a fix within its 5.13.5 version of Kindle firmware. At this year’s DEF CON event in Las Vegas, researchers will demonstrate how the exploit worked. Further, the conference sees attendance from FBI agents, international cyber security organizations and top companies in the field who have reason to be interested in this vulnerability.

“Amazon was cooperative throughout our coordinated disclosure process, and we’re glad they deployed a patch for these security issues,” stated CPR experts.

“Our research demonstrates that any electronic device, at the end of the day, is some form of computer. And as such, these IoT devices are vulnerable to the same attacks as computers. Everyone should be aware of the cyber risks in using anything connected to the computer, especially something as ubiquitous as Amazon’s Kindle,” stated Yaniv Balmas, Head of Cyber Research, Check Point.

Kindle e-books: Targeting specific readers

In some cases, hackers aim to target a specific demographic. For example, all individuals who speak a certain language or a certain dialect. Hackers who intended to profit from this exploit could have tailored an e-book to the interests of a particular culture, and orchestrated a cyber attack. To illustrate, all Star Trek aficionados who eagerly downloaded a new title in the fictional Klingon language may have also transferred malware onto their devices, enabling hackers to snoop around. Apply the concept to an authentic language and culture.

Kindle security risks

As with many elements of the IoT world, Kindle overtly appears as an innocuous platform. It’s designed to provide learning opportunities and entertainment for people of all ages. However, research shows that any electronic device with internet connectivity capabilities comes with cyber risks.

Kindle book security options

Readers may want to consider anti-malware software for their Kindle devices. Anti-malware solutions can seamlessly operate in the background and can continuously scan for threats. Security protection may be of particular necessity for those who use third-party apps on e-reader devices.

More Amazon coverage

Could Amazon’s business news and Amazon Kindle news affect your enterprise? See previously trending Amazon stories here.

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