Stay informed on botnet trends, attacks, and defenses. Get the latest updates and expert insights on botnet threats in information security.
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Background for this topic.
A botnet is a network of compromised internet-connected devices controlled remotely by an attacker through malware. These devices, known as bots, receive commands from centralized or decentralized command-and-control (C2) servers to perform coordinated actions such as launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, sending spam, or distributing additional malware. Botnets vary in size and complexity, often leveraging vulnerabilities in devices or weak authentication to propagate.
In information security, botnets pose significant risks including large-scale service disruptions from DDoS attacks and the unauthorized use of infected devices for malicious activities. Detecting botnet activity involves monitoring network traffic for unusual patterns and identifying communication with known C2 infrastructure. Effective defense includes timely patching of vulnerable systems, blocking C2 domains or IPs based on threat intelligence, and isolating infected hosts to prevent further spread or damage. Coordinated efforts to disrupt botnet infrastructure can reduce their operational impact.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
A Russian-speaking threat actor known as "bandcampro" used Google's open-source Gemini CLI AI tool as a hacking agent and to operate a small-scale botnet. [...]
International law enforcement agencies cleaned nearly 15,000 malware-infected WordPress websites and took down more than 100 servers linked to the SocGholish botnet and the Evil Corp Russian cybercrime group. [...]
The JDY botnet, a malware network previously associated with Chinese threat actors like Volt Typhoon, has significantly expanded its targeting scope and reconnaissance efforts. [...]
A new variant of the Gafgyt botnet called C0XMO is targeting DD-WRT router firmware and can move to other device types with various CPU architectures. [...]
DDoS attacks are increasingly being sold like subscription services, complete with pricing tiers, support, and reseller programs. Flare explores how the DDoS-as-a-Service market has evolved from scattered tools into polished attack platforms. [...]
Dutch authorities have taken offline a massive botnet of 17 million devices and seized more than 200 servers at a local provider that supported the operation. [...]
The Glassworm botnet targeting developers in software supply-chain attacks has been disrupted after researchers took down its resilient command-and-control infrastructure relying on Solana blockchain transactions and the BitTorrent DHT network. [...]
U.S. and Canadian authorities arrested and charged a Canadian man with operating the KimWolf distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet, which infected nearly two million devices worldwide. [...]
The Russian hacker group Secret Blizzard has developed its long-running Kazuar backdoor into a modular peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet designed for long-term persistence, stealth, and data collection. [...]
A new Mirai-based malware campaign is actively exploiting CVE-2025-29635, a high-severity command-injection vulnerability affecting D-Link DIR-823X routers, to enlist devices into the botnet. [...]
A SystemBC proxy malware botnet of more than 1,570 hosts, believed to be corporate victims, has been discovered following an investigation into a Gentlemen ransomware attack carried out by a gang affiliate. [...]
A Russian national has been sentenced to two years in prison after admitting that the phishing botnet he managed was used to launch BitPaymer ransomware attacks against 72 U.S. companies. [...]
A newly discovered botnet malware called KadNap is targeting ASUS routers and other edge networking devices to turn them into proxies for malicious traffic. [...]
A newly documented Linux botnet named SSHStalker is using the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) communication protocol for command-and-control (C2) operations. [...]
The Aisuru/Kimwolf botnet launched a new massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack in December 2025, peaking at 31.4 Tbps and 200 million requests per second. [...]
A new wave of GoBruteforcer botnet malware attacks is targeting databases of cryptocurrency and blockchain projects on exposed servers believed to be configured using AI-generated examples. [...]
The Kimwolf botnet, an Android variant of the Aisuru malware, has grown to more than two million hosts, most of them infected by exploiting vulnerabilities in residential proxy networks to target devices on internal networks. [...]
The RondoDox botnet has been observed exploiting the critical React2Shell flaw (CVE-2025-55182) to infect vulnerable Next.js servers with malware and cryptominers. [...]
In just three months, the massive Aisuru botnet launched more than 1,300 distributed denial-of-service attacks, one of them setting a new record with a peak at 29.7 terabits per second. [...]
GreyNoise Labs has launched a free tool called GreyNoise IP Check that lets users check if their IP address has been observed in malicious scanning operations, like botnet and residential proxy networks. [...]