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A recently discovered variant of the Mirai botnet has been identified as exploiting vulnerabilities in industrial routers to conduct devastating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. The botnet, dubbed "gayfemboy," has been linked to approximately 15,000 daily active IP addresses and has been observed leveraging a zero-day vulnerability in Four-Faith industrial routers. With the cumulative impact of these coordinated efforts posing a significant threat to various industries and systems, it is essential for organizations to remain vigilant in their efforts to secure their networks against such threats.
The Mirai botnet variant has been exploiting vulnerabilities in industrial routers to conduct devastating DDoS attacks. The vulnerability, CVE-2024-12856, affects Four-Faith industrial routers manufactured by China-based company, Four-Faith. The botnet maintains approximately 15,000 daily active IP addresses and has launched hundreds of targeted attacks daily. DDoS attacks have become increasingly common and destructive, employing diverse attack modes with evolving strategies. Malicious actors are leveraging susceptible PHP servers to deploy cryptocurrency miners, highlighting the ever-present risk of exploits being discovered and weaponized.
The cybersecurity landscape has witnessed an uptick in malicious activities, with the recent disclosure of a Mirai botnet variant exploiting vulnerabilities in industrial routers to conduct devastating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks serving as a stark reminder of the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats. The botnet, dubbed "gayfemboy" due to the presence of an offensive term in its source code, has been observed leveraging a zero-day vulnerability in Four-Faith industrial routers manufactured by China-based company, Four-Faith.
The vulnerability in question, CVE-2024-12856, refers to an operating system (OS) command injection bug affecting router models F3x24 and F3x36. This exploit has been observed as early as November 9, 2024, with the malware delivering artifacts onto compromised devices. The use of default credentials for Telnet access, coupled with a formidable arsenal of over 20 known security vulnerabilities, has made it challenging to defend against this variant of the Mirai botnet.
The botnet maintains approximately 15,000 daily active IP addresses, with infections primarily scattered across China, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and the United States. The attacks launched by the botnet have been targeted at hundreds of different entities on a daily basis, generating traffic that peaks around 100 Gbps. While the duration of each attack is typically between 10 and 30 seconds, the cumulative impact of these coordinated efforts poses a significant threat to enterprises, government organizations, and individual users alike.
DDoS attacks have become an increasingly common and destructive form of cyber assault, with their attack modes being diverse, attack paths highly concealed, and capable of employing continuously evolving strategies and techniques. According to QiAnXin XLab researchers, the development of DDoS has become a significant concern in recent years, with the potential to wreak havoc on various industries and systems.
The emergence of this Mirai botnet variant is also pertinent when considering the broader context of threat actors leveraging susceptible and misconfigured PHP servers (e.g., CVE-2024-4577) to deploy a cryptocurrency miner called PacketCrypt. This development underscores the ever-present risk of exploits being discovered and weaponized by malicious actors, highlighting the need for sustained vigilance in the face of an evolving cybersecurity landscape.
In light of this disclosure, it is essential to acknowledge the role that Four-Faith industrial routers have played in facilitating the Mirai botnet variant's attacks. The vulnerability exploited in these devices has served as a critical entry point for the malware, allowing it to spread rapidly across compromised networks.
The recent disclosure of CVE-2024-12856, coupled with the presence of other security flaws such as CVE-2013-3307, CVE-2013-7471, CVE-2014-8361, CVE-2016-20016, CVE-2017-17215, CVE-2017-5259, CVE-2020-25499, CVE-2020-9054, CVE-2021-35394, CVE-2023-26801, CVE-2024-8956, and CVE-2024-8957, underscores the imperative need for organizations to remain vigilant in their efforts to secure their networks against such threats.
The importance of sustained awareness and proactive defense measures cannot be overstated, particularly when it comes to addressing the evolving nature of DDoS attacks. This highlights the need for enterprises, government organizations, and individual users alike to prioritize their cybersecurity posture through regular updates, patching of vulnerabilities, and the implementation of robust security protocols.
In conclusion, the recent discovery of a Mirai botnet variant exploiting vulnerabilities in Four-Faith industrial routers serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat landscape that exists within the realm of cybersecurity. The emphasis on sustained awareness, proactive defense measures, and the prioritization of network security is paramount in mitigating the impact of such threats.
Related Information:
https://thehackernews.com/2025/01/mirai-botnet-variant-exploits-four.html
Published: Wed Jan 8 05:46:49 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
