Tag: botnet
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New Kairos DDoS Botnet Hijacks Linux Devices to Overwhelm Servers With Thousands of TCP Connections
Nozomi Networks Labs has documented Kairos, a previously undocumented Go-based DDoS bot for Linux. It turns compromised Linux devices into attack nodes that exhaust a victim’s connection capacity with thousands of idle TCP sessions. Kairos DDoS botnet Honeypot telemetry captured three Kairos builds. They differ only in the hard-coded C2 address and the Go compiler…
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Researchers Push Over 2 Million Updates to Remotely Disable Popcorn Time Updater That Could Fuel a Botnet
Between November 2025 and March 2026, the Dutch security firm Eye Security pushed more than 2 million updates to computers it did not own to switch off a background updater that it said could have allowed an outsider to take over the machine.The updater belongs to Time4Popcorn, an abandoned copy of Popcorn Time, a free…
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PHP exploitation moves at slower-than-expected pace, but millions remain at risk
Security researchers flag botnet activity, but successful compromises have yet to break through. First seen on cybersecuritydive.com Jump to article: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/php-exploitation-slower-than-expected/833855/
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PHP2Shell Exploit Attempts Hit Millions as Attackers Try to Deploy Mirai Malware
Threat actors have been observed unsuccessfully attempting to exploit the newly disclosed PHP2Shell vulnerabilities to rope infected systems into a Mirai botnet variant called Potassium, as it emerges that weaponizing the flaws may be harder than previously thought.The attacks aim to exploit CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 (CVSS scores: 9.2), which can result in unauthenticated remote First…
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Hackers Turn Low-Cost Android Phones Into Hidden Proxy Botnets Through Preinstalled Malware
Midnight Mimosa, a widespread Android malware campaign, is turning inexpensive smartphones into advertising fraud engines and potential residential proxy nodes by embedding malicious apps in device firmware before purchase. Bitdefender observed thousands of infected devices across more than 150 countries over approximately two years, exposing a persistent compromise that ordinary application removal cannot resolve. The…
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Anthropic warns self-replicating AI could spread to your smart devices
Anthropic is warning that small AI models could soon be able to self-replicate across consumer IoT devices, from Android TV boxes to smart ovens, creating distributed botnets capable of running AI workloads without relying on data centers. First seen on bleepingcomputer.com Jump to article: www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/anthropic-warns-self-replicating-ai-could-spread-to-your-smart-devices/
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Anthropic Warns Small AI Models Could Soon Form Self-Propagating IoT Botnets
Small artificial intelligence (AI) models may be months away from developing capabilities to self-replicate on IoT devices like smart ovens and off-brand Android TV boxes, according to a warning from Anthropic.The frontier AI lab said small AI models could form autonomous, self-propagating worm botnets that are “challenging to shut down,” since “there’s no centralized point…
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Android Firmware Malware Uses Ad Fraud and Proxy Botnets to Generate Revenue
Midnight Mimosa, an Android malware campaign embedded in firmware that monetizes compromised smartphones through advertising fraud and residential proxy services. Disclosed on October 8, the operation affected thousands of devices across more than 150 countries over roughly two years, predominantly inexpensive phones built on MediaTek platforms. Unlike malware requiring a malicious download, Midnight Mimosa arrives…
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FBI seizes domains linked to China-nexus botnet
The infrastructure supported an international hacking campaign that targeted critical infrastructure, including a South Carolina-based power company. First seen on cybersecuritydive.com Jump to article: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/fbi-seizes-domains-china-botnet-flax-typhoon/832611/
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FBI seizes domains linked to China-nexus botnet
The infrastructure supported an international hacking campaign that targeted critical infrastructure, including a South Carolina-based power company. First seen on cybersecuritydive.com Jump to article: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/fbi-seizes-domains-china-botnet-flax-typhoon/832611/
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FBI Warns Chinese Hackers Use Automated Tools and Botnets to Steal Sensitive Data
Tags: advisory, botnet, china, cyber, cybersecurity, data, exploit, government, group, hacker, healthcare, infrastructure, international, technology, tool, vulnerabilityThe FBI and international cybersecurity agencies have warned about hackers linked to the Chinese government who use automated vulnerability scanning, large-scale botnets, and hands-on exploitation to steal sensitive information worldwide. A joint advisory released on October 8, 2026, identified China-based Integrity Technology Group as a facilitator of operations targeting critical infrastructure, government agencies, healthcare systems,…
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Cryptomining botnet hides C2 addresses in GitHub poem, infects over 3,400 servers
Thousands of hijacked servers have been looking up their command and control (C2) server in a poem posted on GitHub, according to Black Lotus Labs. The malware reading it, … First seen on helpnetsecurity.com Jump to article: www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/10/08/poellm-malware-github-poem-ai-servers/
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PoeLLM Malware Hijacks 3,400+ Servers for Crypto Mining and Botnet Expansion
Tags: ai, botnet, control, crypto, cyber, data-breach, exploit, infrastructure, Internet, malware, vulnerabilityA cryptocurrency mining campaign dubbed PoeLLM has compromised more than 3,400 servers by targeting exposed AI infrastructure and other internet-facing applications. Active since April 2026, the operation combines vulnerability exploitation, cryptocurrency miners and an unusual command-and-control mechanism that derives server addresses from a poem hosted on GitHub. Victims predominantly run LiteLLM, Ollama, Gotenberg and Gitea,…
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PoeLLM Malware Infects 3,400+ Servers to Expand Crypto Mining Botnet
Cybersecurity researchers are calling attention to a new malware family that has been observed targeting exposed artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) infrastructure with an aim to deploy cryptocurrency miners and further expand the scale of the botnet.The financially motivated campaign, dubbed Canto Incognito, has been found to install cryptocurrency miners, including First…
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PoeLLM malware has assembled a sweeping botnet, taking technical cues from a poem
More than 3,400 servers have been compromised by malware that hides its infrastructure coordinates in a poem. First seen on cyberscoop.com Jump to article: cyberscoop.com/poellm-malware-botnet-poem-lumen-black-lotus-labs/
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Cling Botnet Spoofs Google STUN Traffic to Hide Commands Sent to Infected IoT Devices
Cling, an IoT botnet that disguises operator commands as Google STUN replies, blending malicious communications into routine NAT traversal traffic. Published October 1, the research documents exploitation of exposed networking devices and a command channel designed to exploit trust in familiar infrastructure. Researchers discovered the malware while investigating increased exploitation of CVE-2021-35394, a remote code…
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Realtek Jungle SDK Exploit Attempts Deliver Cling Botnet With STUN-Based C2
Threat actors have been observed attempting to exploit a now-patched critical security flaw impacting the Realtek Jungle software development kit (SDK) to deploy a botnet malware called Cling.”Cling is notable not because it introduces a new propagation technique, but because it repurposes ordinary STUN behavior into a practical command-and-control channel,” Nozomi Networks said in a…
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Cling Malware Masquerades as Google STUN Traffic to Control Compromised IoT Devices
A newly identified IoT botnet, Cling, disguises its command-and-control communications as legitimate STUN traffic, including packets that appear to originate from Google’s public STUN infrastructure. The technique enables attackers to manage compromised internet-facing devices while blending activity into routine NAT-traversal traffic used by real-time communications platforms. Nozomi Networks Labs discovered the campaign while investigating a…
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Botnets, adversarial attacks and data poisoning top leaders’ AI threat list
Companies are putting more money into AI while naming attacks on AI systems as the threat they are least ready to face. PwC surveyed 3,934 business and technology leaders in … First seen on helpnetsecurity.com Jump to article: www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/10/02/pwc-attacks-on-ai-systems/
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New AI-Powered Botnet x47.c Steals Credentials and Drains AI Account Credits
Tags: ai, api, botnet, control, credentials, cyber, ddos, infrastructure, intelligence, malware, service, theft, threat, windowsA newly identified Windows botnet dubbed x47.c is marketing a blend of conventional DDoS tooling, credential theft, SOCKS5 proxying, fast-flux command-and-control infrastructure, and an “AI API drain” capability designed to exhaust victims’ paid artificial-intelligence service credits. Qrator Research Labs identified the previously undocumented malware platform during threat hunting. They traced its sale to an operator…
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Carbonato Botnet Puts an AI Agent on Hacked Docker Hosts
The botnet uses the open source Hermes Agent AI framework to execute commands via Telegram and steal AI API keys from exposed Docker hosts. First seen on darkreading.com Jump to article: www.darkreading.com/identity-access-management-security/carbonato-botnet-ai-agent-hacked-docker-hosts
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Carbonato Botnet Compromises Docker Hosts to Deploy Telegram-Controlled Hermes AI Agent
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new botnet malware called Carbonato that’s targeting exposed Docker daemons to deploy an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) agent framework called Hermes Agent.”The implant installs the framework unchanged, then overwrites its SOUL.md persona file,” ThreatDown said. “The 39-line prompt directs it to execute tasks received through First seen on…
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Hackers Turn an Open-Source AI Agent Into a Tool for Controlling Compromised Docker Servers
Tags: access, ai, authentication, botnet, control, cyber, data-breach, docker, framework, hacker, open-source, tool, wormA Docker-focused botnet that repurposes the legitimate, open-source Hermes Agent framework as an interactive post-compromise control layer. The campaign, tracked as CARBONATO, targets Docker daemons exposed without authentication on TCP port 2375, then combines worm-like propagation, stealthy persistence, reverse SSH access and Telegram-driven AI-agent operations. The investigation began in August 2026 after researchers identified a…
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AI-Powered CARBONATO Botnet Steals Credentials to Fund Its Own LLM Gateway
CARBONATO exploits exposed Docker daemons, installs an AI agent, steals API keys and spreads across networks with autonomous command execution. CARBONATO is a Docker-based botnet that has been active since at least October 2024. ThreatDown discovered the operation after finding an unauthenticated container registry exposed to the internet. The registry contained the attackers’ entire toolchain…
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New Carbonato malware uses AI agents to hijack exposed Docker hosts
A new botnet malware called Carbonato is targeting insecure hosts running Docker daemons to install the Hermes Agent AI framework and take control. First seen on bleepingcomputer.com Jump to article: www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-carbonato-malware-uses-ai-agents-to-hijack-exposed-docker-hosts/
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‘Sandworm’ Chains Cisco Vulnerabilities to Deploy Cyclops Blink
The notorious Russian threat group is spreading an upgraded version of the botnet malware, which the FBI disrupted in 2022. First seen on darkreading.com Jump to article: www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/sandworm-chains-cisco-vulnerabilities-cyclops-blink
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Ermittlungen seit 2017 Botnetz nach mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten
Tags: botnetFirst seen on security-insider.de Jump to article: www.security-insider.de/sality-botnetz-p2p-sinkholing-steuerungskanal-lahmgelegt-a-36e8ccaf8837740ebee3c1aad65e699c/
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Tengu Mirai-Style Linux Bot Hides as Kernel Worker to Launch DDoS and Proxy Attacks
A newly analyzed Linux malware sample, dubbed Tengu, combines Mirai-style botnet tradecraft with broad persistence, DDoS, SSH probing, and proxy capabilities. The stripped 32-bit ELF masquerades as a Linux kernel worker process while targeting servers, embedded devices, and IoT-adjacent systems. It has no symbols, uses NX protection and partial RELRO, and carries a SHA-256 hash…
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CrowdStrike Disrupts Sality Botnet After More Than 20 Years
Cybersecurity expert Ken Underhill reports from CrowdStrike on the disruption of the 20-year-old Sality botnet and what security teams need to know. The post CrowdStrike Disrupts Sality Botnet After More Than 20 Years appeared first on TechRepublic. First seen on techrepublic.com Jump to article: www.techrepublic.com/article/news-crowdstrike-sality-botnet-disruption/
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Fewer attacks, more force: Link11’s European Cyber Report finds new DDoS records for the first half of 2026
Frankfurt am Main, Germany, September 3rd, 2026, CyberNewswire Super-botnets and hijacked cloud servers drive new bandwidth and packet-rate records as international law-enforcement pressure pushes attack counts down Link11 has released its European Cyber Report for the first half of 2026, providing an overview of DDoS attack activity targeting European companies. Although the number of DDoS…