Tag Archives: botnets

Botnet that hid for 18 months boasted some of the coolest tradecraft ever

reader comments 55 with 34 posters participating Share this story It’s not the kind of security discovery that happens often. A previously unknown hacker group used a novel backdoor, top-notch tradecraft, and software engineering to create an espionage botnet that was largely invisible in many victim networks. The group, which security firm Mandiant is calling… Read More: Botnet that hid for 18 months boasted some of the… »

One of the most powerful DDoSes ever targets cryptocurrency platform

reader comments 29 with 25 posters participating Share this story A cryptocurrency platform was recently on the receiving end of one of the biggest distributed denial-of-service attacks ever after threat actors bombarded it with 15.3 million requests, content delivery network Cloudflare said. DDoS attacks can be measured in several ways, including by the volume of… Read More: One of the most powerful DDoSes ever targets cryptocurrency platform »

Trickbot is using MikroTik routers to ply its trade. Now we know why

Getty Images reader comments 14 with 10 posters participating Share this story For years, malicious hackers have been hacking large fleets of MikroTik routers and conscripting them into Trickbot, one of the Internet’s most destructive botnets. Now, Microsoft has finally figured out why and how the devices are being put to use. Trickbot came to… Read More: Trickbot is using MikroTik routers to ply its trade. Now… »

After lying low, SSH botnet mushrooms and is harder than ever to take down

reader comments 35 with 28 posters participating Share this story Two years ago, researchers stumbled upon one of the Internet’s most intriguing botnets: a previously undiscovered network of 500 servers, many in well-known universities and businesses around the world, that was impervious to normal takedown methods. After lying low for 16 months, those researchers said,… Read More: After lying low, SSH botnet mushrooms and is harder than… »

Thousands of AT&T customers in the US infected by new data-stealing malware

Getty Images reader comments 46 with 34 posters participating, including story author Share this story Thousands of networking devices belonging to AT&T Internet subscribers in the US have been infected with newly discovered malware that allows the devices to be used in denial-of-service attacks and attacks on internal networks, researchers said on Tuesday. The device… Read More: Thousands of AT&T customers in the US infected by new… »

Critical Cobalt Strike bug leaves botnet servers vulnerable to takedown

Enlarge / You did a bad bad thing. reader comments 19 with 19 posters participating Share this story Governments, vigilantes, and criminal hackers have a new way to disrupt botnets running the widely used attack software Cobalt Strike, courtesy of research published on Wednesday. Cobalt Strike is a legitimate security tool used by penetration testers… Read More: Critical Cobalt Strike bug leaves botnet servers vulnerable to takedown »

The bitcoin blockchain is helping keep a botnet from being taken down

reader comments 25 with 19 posters participating Share this story When hackers corral infected computers into a botnet, they take special care to ensure they don’t lose control of the server that sends commands and updates to the compromised devices. The precautions are designed to thwart security defenders who routinely dismantle botnets by taking over… Read More: The bitcoin blockchain is helping keep a botnet from being… »