Source: The Wall Street Journal (paywall)
Adversaries are exploiting the supply chain vulnerability of cheap IoT devices—routers, cameras, smart speakers—by shipping them with malware already installed, converting millions of consumer hardware into unwitting proxy networks that mask attack origins. This lowers the operational cost of sophisticated cyberattacks while making attribution nearly impossible, since residential IPs are harder to block and flag than commercial infrastructure. The vulnerability stems from the economic incentive structure of consumer electronics manufacturing, where margin pressure and minimal security vetting create persistent backdoors that operate at scale.