Amazon Kindle remains a popular choice for e-book readers, but its popularity also opens doors for security risks. That’s exactly what security research firm Check Point demonstrated in its latest report that notes Kindle e-reader could’ve be vulnerable to hacking through free e-books. The company states that a malicious book can be published and made available for free on e-libraries, including the Kindle Store, via the “self-publishing” service. These books can often reach end-users directly from the hacker in the guise of services from Amazon. If successfully installed, malware-laden e-books can expose information, billing accounts, and so. Even stolen email IDs can pave the way for sophisticated phishing attacks.
Check Point further claims that anti-viruses do not have signatures for e-books, which essentially means these applications may not detect the malware. The company adds that it successfully uploaded the malware to highlight the vulnerability. In a release, it is said that Kindle exploitation could be an easy operation for hackers to target specific audiences. This was possible by targeting books popular in a particular region. “To use a random example, if a threat actor wanted to target Romanian citizens, all they would need to do is publish some free and popular e-book in the Romanian language.” Speaking more over the possibility of a breach, the company notes that understanding Kindle’s architecture, which uses Linux codes at its core, helped them successfully hack their own e-reader.
Check Point demonstrated how an e-book could function as malware to Amazon back in February, and the issue is seemingly patched. Amazon addressed the vulnerability via an OTA update 5.13.5 version in April 2021. To check the version manually, from Home > Select Menu > Settings. You will see the current software version at the bottom of the screen. To manually update, using a computer, download the file for your Kindle from Kindle E-Reader Software Updates > Turn on your Kindle > Connect your Kindle to your computer using the included charging cable > Drag and drop the downloaded update file from your computer onto the “Kindle” drive > On your Kindle home screen, tap the Menu icon, and then tap Settings > Tap the Menu icon again, and then tap Update Your Kindle > Tap OK to perform the update. Message Your Kindle Is Updating appears.
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