How the Mirai botnet changed IoT security and DDoS defense

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  Article

  Mirai creators and operators plead guilty to federal charges

  The Department of Justice announced guilty pleas from the three Mirai creators and operators behind the massive worldwide botnet DDoS attacks in 2016. Read Now

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  Article

  Okiru malware puts billions of connected devices at risk

  News roundup: Okiru, a new Mirai variant, could put over 1.5 billion devices at risk of a botnet. Plus, G Suite Enterprise now comes with a security center, and more. Read Now

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  Article

  Next-gen Mirai botnet targets cryptocurrency mining operations

  A variant of the Satori botnet, a successor of the IoT device hijacking Mirai botnet, is designed to hijack cryptocurrency mining operations, syphoning off newly created digital coins Read Now

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  Article

  Next-gen Mirai botnet sparks calls for more secure IoT design

  News of a 100,000 device strong IoT botnet that could cripple the internet has sparked a fresh call for manufacturers of IoT devices to do more to ensure they cannot be hijacked for malicious purposes Read Now

1The threat doesn't end with Mirai

Hackers have leapt through the window Mirai opened and created spinoffs of the original malware. Different malware instances and botnets used Mirai as a starting point and implemented new functionality to target routers and other IoT devices.

• Article

  How does BrickerBot threaten enterprise IoT devices?

  BrickerBot is similar to other IoT malware like Mirai, Hajime and others. Expert Judith Myerson explains what makes BrickerBot different, and what can be done to defend against it. Read Now

• Article

  Hajime malware: How does it differ from the Mirai worm?

  Hajime malware was discovered to have links to the Mirai botnet that launched powerful DDoS attacks last year. Expert Nick Lewis explains how Hajime differs from Mirai. Read Now

• Article

  Modified Mirai botnet could infect five million routers

  Researchers said a modified version of the Mirai botnet code has been attacking routers by exploiting a specific vulnerability and may leave millions at risk. Read Now

• Article

  More than 2,000 TalkTalk routers hijacked by Mirai botnet variant

  Security researchers are urging ISPs to issue emergency patches for Marai botnet infections after 2,374 TalkTalk routers were linked in a regional botnet Read Now

2How the threat of the Mirai botnet got so bad

From the Dyn disruption that took down part of the internet to the botnet attack on the largest telecom company in Germany, here is a look at the early history of the Mirai botnet and how it put the world on notice.

• Article

  Release of Mirai IoT botnet malware highlights bad password security

  Mirai, the IoT botnet malware code used in the massive DDoS attack on Brian Krebs' website, has been released to the public and highlights a problem of using default passwords. Read Now

• Article

  Details emerging on Dyn DNS DDoS attack, Mirai IoT botnet

  As more details emerge on last week's massive Dyn DNS DDoS, new analysis indicated as few as 100,000 Mirai IoT botnet nodes were enlisted in the incident and reported attack rates up to 1.2 Tbps. Read Now

• Article

  Deutsche Telekom botnet attack underlines infrastructure vulnerabilities

  German telco says its broadband outages are linked to a botched attempt to hijack routers, which security experts say further underlines the cyber threat to internet connected infrastructure Read Now

• Article

  In a post-Mirai world, the FTC wants more secure routers from D-Link

  The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against D-Link, and experts said the move was likely to push more secure routers in the wake of the Mirai botnet attacks. Read Now

• Article

  Suspect in Mirai malware attack on Deutsche Telekom arrested

  News roundup: U.K. authorities arrested a suspect in the Mirai malware attack on Deutsche Telekom. Plus, a judge denies a government request to collect fingerprints, and more. Read Now

3How to stop the Mirai botnet in its tracks

Since hackers were able to cause such widespread disruption with Mirai, the security industry was forced to develop new tactics and defenses for these massive DDoS attacks. These are the lessons the world has learned and the options available to mitigate the effects of another Mirai botnet.

• Article

  What can enterprises do to prevent an IoT botnet attack?

  An IoT botnet attack on Huawei home routers showed similarities to the Mirai malware. Expert Judith Myerson explains the threat and how enterprises can protect themselves. Read Now

• Blog

  What we can learn from the Mirai botnet attack

  Mirai was a wake-up call; worse attacks are possible. It's time for device makers and data stakeholders to assess the importance of IP support in IoT. Read Now

• Article

  Nematode worm could dismantle Mirai IoT botnet

  A new nematode worm proof of concept could help the internet avoid the next massive Mirai IoT botnet DDoS attack, but experts are unsure of the legality of the option. Read Now

• Article

  Corero Network Security on why DDoS mitigation strategy must improve

  Corero Network Security's Dave Larson talks with SearchSecurity about how the Mirai botnet attacks have forced companies to change their DDoS mitigation strategy. Read Now

• Article

  Get the best botnet protection with the right array of tools

  Enterprise anti-botnet defenses, to be effective, must be added in multiple layers. No single security product will do the trick, but the right combo of tools can. Read Now

4Get familiar with the terminology

If you want to understand what happened with the Mirai botnet attacks, get to know the terminology.

• Definition

  botnet

  A botnet is a collection of internet-connected devices, which may include PCs, servers, mobile devices and internet of things devices, that are infected and controlled by a common type of malware, although users are often unaware of it.  Read Now

• Definition

  distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack

  A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is an attack in which multiple compromised computer systems attack a target, such as a server, website or other network resource, and cause a denial of service for users of the targeted resource. Read Now

• Definition

  smart home or building (home automation or domotics)

  A smart home is a residence that uses internet-connected devices to enable the remote monitoring and management of appliances and systems, such as lighting and heating. Read Now

• Definition

  IoT botnet (Internet of Things botnet)

  An IoT botnet (Internet of Things botnet) is a group of hacked computers, smart appliances and Internet-connected devices that have been co-opted for illicit purposes. Read Now

• Definition

  command-and-control server (C&C server)

  A command and control server (C&C server) is a computer that issues directives to digital devices that have been infected with rootkits or other types of malware, such as ransomware. Read Now