Botnets are malware-infected computers that have been taken over and exploited by cybercriminals for DDoS attacks or other types of malicious activity.
According to new findings from BitSight, a sophisticated botnet known as Mylobot is now infecting more than 50,000 devices per day. This botnet maintains control over thousands of systems throughout India, Iran and the U.S.
Service Providers
Bots are malicious programs that infect devices connected to the Internet, enabling cyber attacks or theft of personal information like credit card numbers and passwords. The malicious software on these bots can be remotely controlled by the hacker who initially infected them.
A bot herder controls a botnet through an online interface that permits them to view the list of infected devices and customize their settings. They may also download and install software updates for added security, monitor activities on infected computers, and send reports back to their operators.
The herder can communicate with bots through various methods, such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks or HTTP protocols. IRC botnets can mask their activity as normal web traffic while HTTP botnets require the herder to visit a central server to receive updates and commands.
IRC botnets are the most widespread type of botnet, as they require fewer resources to maintain and operate than HTTP or P2P botnets. Unfortunately, IRC bots can be disrupted by a single or few points of failure.
Infected machines can be remedied through various strategies, such as flashing the firmware and performing a factory reset. Alternatively, the host machine can be replaced and its system restored to an uncontaminated state with assistance from either its manufacturer or IT administrator.
Another strategy is to disable the C&C server on infected machines using anti-malware software. This can be done manually or automatically, and is an essential step in maintaining a robust security policy.
Some bot creators are skilled at avoiding detection, so it is essential to use a tool that can detect malware signatures and checks for connections between C&C servers and infected devices. Furthermore, running dynamic analysis on a device could indicate an unusual network traffic pattern indicative of a bot connection.
Bots can sometimes take control of their own devices, though this is rare. When this occurs, it’s known as self-propagating malware and can be extremely hard to track down. Furthermore, bots may damage a company’s infrastructure in some cases. To reduce this risk, organizations should employ strong passwords, regularly update systems and avoid connecting devices that haven’t been updated yet.
Detection
Botnets are a global threat that poses grave dangers to the integrity and stability of the Internet, digital economy and personal lives. To combat this growing issue, all stakeholders in the ecosystem must come together in order to limit its damage.
Botnets are networks of computers hijacked and controlled by cybercriminals without their owners’ knowledge or consent. The bots can be used for various automated scams and cyberattacks such as DDoS attacks, spam sending, data theft, and cryptocurrency mining.
Botnets are often managed by a command and control (C&C) server operated by cybercriminals. From here, remote commands are sent to each infected device or zombie in the botnet for specific tasks to be performed.
In the early days of Internet botnets, command and control (C&C) was centralized and connected all infected machines to a single central server. While this method proved successful for controlling large numbers of devices, it also posed a security risk since if the C&C server were taken down, information regarding who the bot herder really was could easily be discovered.
Another strategy for botnet control involves a distributed system in which bot herders use various software applications to communicate with their zombie computers. This permits them to access more infected devices and increase their capacity for carrying out more attacks.
These bots can be controlled through various methods, such as file sharing, email, social media application protocols and using other bots as intermediaries. The bot herder then has full control of a large group of these bots by issuing commands and altering their functionality accordingly.
Bot herders can use various evasion techniques to hide their presence. One such tactic is using a residential proxy, which masks an IP address from browsers and makes it difficult to determine the origin of a user’s request.
BitSight recently identified an advanced botnet that had infiltrated thousands of systems. It appears the MyloBot botnet is employing this strategy in order to avoid detection. On average, MyloBot will sit idle for 14 days before connecting back to its command and control (C2) server.
Botnets Prevention
Botnets are cyberattacks that use multiple networked devices to launch one or more bots, which then use this swarm of infected machines to attack a server, company website, or other targets.
Bots can be employed in a number of attacks, such as spam campaigns, brute force assaults, malware invasions and more. Often botnets work together with other cyberattacks to target high-value services and digital assets specifically.
The primary reason these attacks are successful is that a bot-master hijacks many computer systems and turns them into bots. This process enables him to remotely control the bots and launch various cyberattacks against his targets.
Once malware has taken control of a computer, it can be used to send spam emails, spread other types of malware and steal sensitive information without users’ knowledge. Furthermore, DDoS attacks such as these have the potential to disrupt web traffic and cause extensive harm.
Botnet attacks often involve multiple computers being controlled remotely with remote administration tools (RATs). These programs enable malicious actors to remotely manipulate other machines on the network and install fake software update websites, Trojans, spyware, keyloggers and other malicious applications on unsuspecting victims’ machines.
These programs are often distributed over the Internet and can be installed without the user’s knowledge or consent. An attacker then has the capacity to monitor user activity to collect sensitive information like passwords or bank account numbers.
One way to combat botnet-based service BHProxies is by changing the default passwords on all connected devices and updating login credentials when a new device connects to the network. This will protect against phishing attempts and malicious software installations on vulnerable endpoints by botnet-based service BHProxies.
Another effective strategy to prevent botnet-based services like BHProxies includes regularly applying all software and operating system patches. Doing this will guard against vulnerabilities in the software landscape that could be exploited by botnets, leading to major destruction of a business’s infrastructure.
Botnets Remediation
Botnets are a potent weapon in the hands of cybercriminals, who use them for sending email spam, launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, solving CAPTCHA challenges on websites, performing online banking fraud or click fraud and more. Furthermore, botnets may be employed in extortion, ransomware attacks and credential stuffing campaigns.
Historically, bot programs were client-server applications that communicated with a central control server. However, in today’s perverse world of hacking, it has become common for attackers to utilize “peer-to-peer” networks which can be constructed quickly and don’t need any central command and control infrastructure.
One of the most sophisticated examples is Mylobot, a five-year-old botnet now being utilized to power BHProxies, a residential proxy service. This masks web traffic from users and allows them to surf anonymously from compromised machines.
Mylobot’s malware is a Trojan program with rootkit capabilities that turns an infected machine into a Proxy Server, using minimal CPU and RAM resources in the process.
Another advantageous characteristic is its flexibility to run on virtually any system, making it ideal for conducting ad hoc attacks against infected machines. This trait becomes especially vital during DDoS attacks which can quickly consume all available network bandwidth.
Remediating a botnet-based attack is challenging, and the best way to do it is with EDR technology that gives full visibility into all devices on your network. This will enable you to detect any bots that could be causing issues and then prevent them from starting up in the first place.
