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Feds try to boost security of internet-connected home devices

The Obama administration is taking steps to counter new types of cyber-attacks and reassure Americans the devices they've come to love can be secure.

A massive cyber-attack blocked access to websites including Twitter and Netflix for several hours on Friday. Unidentified hackers seized control of gadgets and directed them to launch an attack that temporarily disrupted access to a host of sites, according to U.S. web security researchers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security held a conference call with 18 major communication service providers shortly after the attack.

It is working to develop ways to bolster the security of internet-connected devices like baby monitors, digital video recorders and even cars.

"The issue with the consumer-connected device is that there is nearly no firewall between devices and the public internet," said Tracy Tsai, an analyst at Gartner, adding that many consumers leave the default setting on devices for ease of use without knowing the dangers.

The "distributed denial-of-service" attack targeted servers run by Dyn Inc., an internet company located in Manchester, New Hampshire. These types of attacks work by overwhelming targeted computers with junk data so that legitimate traffic can't get through.

The hack has heightened long-standing fears among security experts that the rising number of interconnected home gadgets, appliances and automobiles represent a cybersecurity nightmare.

The convenience of being able to control home electronics via the web also leaves them more vulnerable to malicious intruders, experts say.

One Chinese electronics maker said millions of web-connected cameras and digital recorders became compromised because customers failed to change their default passwords.

Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology said in a statement Monday that it would recall products sold in the U.S. before April 2015 to demonstrate "social responsibility."

The company, which also makes dashboard cameras and computer chips, said it would recall more than 4 million web-connected cameras and has offered customers a software security fix.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.