How did the 2016 Mirai botnet attack disrupt Internet traffic in North America?

The 2016 Mirai botnet attack disrupted Internet traffic in North America by targeting the servers of Dyn, an American company responsible for managing a significant portion of the domain name system (DNS).1

Unlike traditional distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that typically rely on compromised computers, the Mirai botnet utilized a vast network of insecure Internet-connected devices, such as digital video recorders (DVRs), baby monitors, and digital cameras. By overwhelming Dyn’s infrastructure with traffic from these infected devices, the attack effectively prevented legitimate users from accessing various websites and services across the region. This event highlighted the critical security vulnerabilities inherent in the growing ecosystem of connected devices and underscored the necessity of implementing vigorous security regimes to protect Internet infrastructure.1