New IoT botnet discovered in the wild

Check Point researchers have discovered a brand new botnet – dubbed ‘IoTroop’ – that is evolving and recruiting IoT devices at a far greater pace and with more potential damage than the Mirai botnet of 2016.

IoT botnets are internet connected smart devices which have been infected by the same malware and are controlled by a threat actor from a remote location. They have been behind some of the most damaging cyberattacks against organizations worldwide, including hospitals, national transport links, communication companies and political movements.

While some technical aspects lead Check Point to suspect a possible connection to Mirai, this is an entirely new and far more sophisticated campaign that is rapidly spreading worldwide.

It is too early to guess the intentions of the threat actors behind it, but with previous Botnet DDoS attacks essentially taking down the internet, it is vital that organizations make proper preparations and defense mechanisms are put in place before an attack strikes, the company said.

Ominous signs were first picked up via Check Point’s Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) in the last few days of September. An escalating number of attempts were being made by hackers to exploit a combination of vulnerabilities found in various IoT devices.

With each passing day the malware was evolving to exploit a growing number of vulnerabilities in Wireless IP Camera devices such as GoAhead, D-Link, TP-Link, AVTECH, NETGEAR, MikroTik, Linksys, Synology and others. It soon became apparent that the attempted attacks were coming from a variety of different sourcesand IoT devices, meaning the attack was being spread by the IoT devices themselves.

“So far we estimate over a million organizations have already been affected worldwide, including the US, Australia and everywhere in between, and the number is only increasing. Our research suggests we are now experiencing the calm before an even more powerful storm. The next cyber hurricane is about to come,” Check Point said.