All news with #botnet tag

🪲 Oligo Security warns of an active campaign, codenamed ShadowRay 2.0, that exploits a two-year-old authentication flaw in the Ray AI framework (CVE-2023-48022, CVSS 9.8) to convert exposed clusters with NVIDIA GPUs into a self-replicating cryptomining botnet using XMRig. Operators submit malicious jobs to the unauthenticated Job Submission API (/api/jobs/), stage payloads on GitLab and GitHub, and abuse Ray’s orchestration to pivot laterally, establish persistence via cron jobs, and propagate to other dashboards. Oligo recommends restricting access, enabling authentication on the Ray Dashboard (default port 8265) and using Anyscale’s Ray Open Ports Checker plus firewall rules to reduce accidental exposure.

🛡️ Kaspersky researcher Lisandro Ubiedo details an expanding Windows-focused botnet named Tsundere that retrieves and executes arbitrary JavaScript from remote command-and-control servers. The threat, active since mid‑2025, has been distributed via fake MSI installers and PowerShell scripts that deploy Node.js, install dependencies (ws, ethers, and pm2) and establish persistence. Operators fetch WebSocket C2 addresses from an Ethereum smart contract to rotate infrastructure, while a control panel enables artifact building, bot management, proxying, and an on-platform marketplace.

⚠ A global campaign named ShadowRay 2.0 is exploiting an unpatched code-execution flaw (CVE-2023-48022) in Ray clusters to deploy a self-propagating cryptomining botnet. Researchers at Oligo attribute the activity to an actor tracked as IronErn440, which uses AI-generated payloads submitted to Ray’s unauthenticated Jobs API. The malware deploys XMRig to mine Monero, establishes persistence via cron and systemd, and opens reverse shells for interactive control. Operators also throttle CPU use and conceal miners with deceptive names to evade detection.

🛡️ Microsoft Azure said it blocked a record 15.72 Tbps DDoS attack tied to the Aisuru IoT botnet that surged to roughly 3.64 billion packets per second and targeted a single cloud endpoint in Australia. The attacker launched extremely high-rate UDP floods from over 500,000 source IPs with minimal spoofing and random source ports. Azure DDoS Protection automatically detected and mitigated the traffic without disrupting customer workloads, and Microsoft urged organizations to validate internet-facing protections ahead of peak periods, noting systemic IoT security gaps.

🛡 Microsoft automatically detected and mitigated a massive DDoS attack that peaked at 15.72 Tbps and roughly 3.64 billion packets per second against a single Australian endpoint. The traffic was attributed to a TurboMirai-class IoT botnet called AISURU, sourced from hundreds of thousands of compromised routers, cameras, and DVRs and launched from over 500,000 source IPs across multiple regions. Attackers used high-rate UDP floods with minimal source spoofing and random source ports, factors Microsoft said helped simplify traceback and provider enforcement. The incident underscores rising DDoS baselines as broadband speeds increase and IoT devices become more capable.

⚠️ RondoDox operators are exploiting a critical remote code execution flaw in XWiki Platform (CVE-2025-24893), which CISA flagged as actively exploited on October 30. VulnCheck observed attacks beginning November 3 that inject base64-encoded Groovy into the XWiki SolrSearch endpoint via a crafted HTTP GET to download and run a remote shell (rondo..sh) that stages the main payload. Administrators should upgrade to 15.10.11 or 16.4.1, apply network controls, and use published IoCs to block scanning and payload hosts.

⚠️ Microsoft reported that the Aisuru botnet launched a massive DDoS attack against a public Azure IP in Australia, peaking at 15.72 Tbps and nearly 3.64 billion packets per second. The traffic originated from over 500,000 IP addresses and consisted of extremely high-rate UDP floods with minimal source spoofing. Microsoft noted the bursts used random source ports, which aided traceback and provider enforcement. Azure's mitigations absorbed the attack without a reported widespread outage.

⚠️ RondoDox has been observed exploiting unpatched XWiki instances to weaponize a critical eval injection, CVE-2025-24893, enabling arbitrary remote code execution via the /bin/get/Main/SolrSearch endpoint. The flaw was patched in XWiki 15.10.11, 16.4.1 and 16.5.0RC1 in late February 2025, but scanning and exploitation surged in November, including botnet-driven DDoS and cryptocurrency miner deployments. Security vendors noted spikes in activity on November 7 and November 11 and observed RondoDox adding this vector on November 3, 2025. Administrators should apply vendor patches immediately and review logs and network traffic for indicators of compromise.

🔒 Operation Endgame 3.0 targeted and dismantled infrastructure supporting three prominent malware families — Rhadamanthys, VenomRAT and the Elysium botnet — in coordinated actions carried out between 10 and 13 November. Authorities disrupted or seized more than 1,025 servers and 20 domains, searched 11 locations across multiple countries and arrested a suspected VenomRAT operator in Greece. The initiative was led by Europol with Eurojust, national law enforcement partners and over 30 private cybersecurity organizations.

🛡️ A coordinated law enforcement operation led by Europol and Eurojust between November 10–13, 2025 disrupted major malware infrastructures, including Rhadamanthys Stealer, Venom RAT, and an Elysium botnet. Authorities seized 20 domains, took down more than 1,025 servers and arrested a primary suspect in Greece on November 3. Europol said the dismantled networks encompassed hundreds of thousands of infected machines and several million stolen credentials, and that the infostealer operator had access to roughly 100,000 cryptocurrency wallets.

🔒 Law enforcement from nine countries disrupted infrastructure used by the Rhadamanthys infostealer, VenomRAT remote access trojan and the Elysium botnet during a phase of Operation Endgame. Coordinated by Europol and Eurojust with private partners, officers seized 20 domains, took down 1,025 servers and executed searches at 11 locations between 10 and 14 November 2025. A key suspect linked to VenomRAT was arrested in Greece, and authorities warn that the dismantled infrastructure contained hundreds of thousands of infected machines and several million stolen credentials, plus access to over 100,000 crypto wallets.

🔁 Zscaler ThreatLabz has observed a new DanaBot variant (v669) returning to Windows systems after a six-month disruption caused by Operation Endgame. The rebuilt command-and-control infrastructure uses Tor .onion domains and 'backconnect' nodes, and operators are collecting stolen funds via multiple cryptocurrency addresses (BTC, ETH, LTC, TRX). Organizations should add Zscaler's IoCs to blocklists, update detection tools, and harden email and web defenses against malspam, SEO poisoning, and malvertising.

🛡️ Cloudflare has begun redacting and hiding domains tied to the rapidly growing Aisuru botnet after those malicious hostnames repeatedly appeared atop its public domain rankings. The botnet — comprised of hundreds of thousands of compromised IoT devices — recently shifted from querying 8.8.8.8 to 1.1.1.1, flooding Cloudflare’s resolver and skewing popularity metrics. Cloudflare says attackers are likely both manipulating rankings and mounting attacks on its DNS service, and the company is refining its ranking algorithm while removing known malicious entries.

🔍 Cybersecurity researchers warn of a sharp rise in automated botnet campaigns targeting PHP servers, IoT devices, and cloud gateways. The Qualys Threat Research Unit says Mirai, Gafgyt, Mozi and similar botnets are exploiting known CVEs, misconfigurations and exposed secrets to recruit vulnerable systems. Attackers leverage active debug interfaces (for example using '/?XDEBUG_SESSION_START=phpstorm'), scan from cloud providers to mask origin, and turn compromised routers and DVRs into residential proxies. Recommended mitigations include prompt patching, removing development tools from production, securing secrets with AWS Secrets Manager or HashiCorp Vault, and restricting public cloud access.

🔒 Qualys' Threat Research Unit reports a sharp rise in attacks targeting PHP servers, IoT devices and cloud gateways, driven by botnets such as Mirai, Gafgyt and Mozi exploiting known CVEs and misconfigurations. Researchers highlight active exploitation of flaws like CVE-2022-47945 (ThinkPHP RCE), CVE-2021-3129 (Laravel Ignition) and aging test/debug artifacts such as CVE-2017-9841, while attackers also harvest exposed AWS credentials. Qualys urges continuous visibility, timely patching, removal of debugging tools in production and managed secret stores to reduce risk.

🛡️ Aisuru, first identified in August 2024, has been retooled from launching record DDoS assaults to renting hundreds of thousands of compromised IoT devices as residential proxies. Researchers warn the change powers a massive proxy market that is being used to anonymize large-scale content scraping for AI training and other abuses. The botnet — roughly 700,000 devices strong — previously produced multi‑terabit attacks that disrupted ISPs and damaged router hardware. Industry and law enforcement are sharing blocklists and probing proxy reseller ecosystems tied to the infections.

🔐 Cybersecurity researchers have detailed PolarEdge, a TLS-based ELF implant used to conscript Cisco, ASUS, QNAP and Synology routers into a botnet. The backdoor implements an mbedTLS v2.8.0 server with a custom binary protocol, supports a connect-back and interactive debug mode, and stores its obfuscated configuration in the final 512 bytes of the ELF. Operators use anti-analysis techniques, process masquerading and file-moving/deletion routines; a forked watchdog can relaunch the payload if the parent process disappears.

🔍 Researchers at GreyNoise have identified a large-scale, multi-country botnet that began targeting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) services in the United States on October 8. The campaign uses over 100,000 IP addresses and employs two RDP-specific techniques: RD Web Access timing attacks to infer valid usernames and RDP Web Client login enumeration to observe differing server behaviors. Nearly all sources share a common TCP fingerprint, indicating coordinated clusters. Administrators should block attacking IPs, review RDP logs, and avoid exposing remote desktop services to the public internet—use VPNs and enable multi-factor authentication.

⚠️ Aisuru, an IoT botnet derived from Mirai, generated a nearly 29.6 Tbps DDoS surge on Oct. 8, 2025, briefly disrupting major US ISPs and online gaming platforms. Logs show most attack traffic originated from compromised home routers, IP cameras and DVRs on networks operated by AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, T‑Mobile and Charter. TCPShield reported over 15 Tbps of junk traffic, and researchers warn Aisuru now operates as both a DDoS engine and a residential proxy network.

🔍 Trend Micro warns that RondoDox botnet campaigns have significantly expanded their targeting, exploiting more than 50 vulnerabilities across over 30 vendors to compromise routers, DVR/NVR systems, CCTV devices, web servers and other networked infrastructure. First observed by Trend Micro on June 15, 2025 via exploitation of CVE-2023-1389, and first documented by Fortinet FortiGuard Labs in July 2025, the threat now leverages a loader-as-a-service model that co-packages RondoDox with Mirai/Morte payloads, accelerating automated, multivector intrusions. The campaign includes 56 tracked flaws—18 without CVEs—spanning major vendors and underscores urgent detection and remediation needs.