Cyber attack: hackers 'weaponised' everyday devices with malware to mount assault

Hundreds of thousands of devices such as webcams and DVRs were infected with malicious code to create a so-called 'botnet' to target leading sites

The huge attack on global internet access, which blocked some of the world's most popular websites, is believed to have been unleashed by hackers using common devices like webcams and digital recorders.

Among the sites targeted on Friday were Twitter, Paypal and Spotify. All were customers of Dyn, an infrastructure company in New Hampshire in the US that acts as a switchboard for internet traffic.