Malicious IoT botnet activity

A report finds that recently there has been a sharp increase in the malicious IoT botnet activity due to growing number of IoT devices in use. There are billions of IoT devices in use around the world, and this number is only going to increase in the future.

An expert says, there is lax in security of many IoT devices. Many IoT devices are not properly secured, making them easy targets for attackers. IoT botnet attacks can be very profitable for attackers, as they can be used to disrupt businesses, steal data, and launch other malicious activities.

According to the Nokia Threat Intelligence Report 2023, the number of IoT devices (bots) engaged in botnet-driven DDoS attacks rose from around 200,000 a year ago to approximately 1 million devices, generating more than 40% of all DDoS traffic today. This sharp increase in botnet activity has been driven by a number of factors.

The Report found that IoT botnet DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) traffic, originating from a large number of insecure IoT devices with the aim of disrupting telecom network services for millions of users, increased fivefold over the past year, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and stemming from the growing increase in profit-driven hacking collectives operated by cybercriminals.

This sharp increase, also supplemented by the increased use of IoT devices by consumers around the world, was first noticed at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict but has since spread to other parts of the world, with botnet-driven DDoS attacks being used to disrupt telecom networks as well as other critical infrastructure and services.

The most common malware in telecommunication networks was found to be a bot malware that scans for vulnerable devices, a tactic associated with a variety of IoT botnets. There are billions of IoT devices worldwide, ranging from smart refrigerators, medical sensors, and smart watches; many of which have lax security protections.

The Threat Intelligence Report also found that the number of trojans targeting personal banking information in mobile devices has doubled to 9%, putting millions of users around the world at heightened risk of having their personal financial and credit card information stolen. A trojan is nefarious software code disguised as being safe for use.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA