Overview

With new cyber-attacks popping up in the news every day, there’s no better time to consider what devices you own that may be at risk and the best ways to protect them against various types of attacks.

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What is a Botnet Army?

A Botnet Army is a network of interconnected bot devices infected with malware that are controlled by a single attacker or organization.

These bots can be devices such as smart devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, including sensors, computers, and more.

Symantec reported that in 2021, IoT botnet activity increased by 35%, highlighting the rising threat.

What is the purpose of a botnet army?

The purpose of a botnet army is to utilize a significant number of compromised devices to launch malicious activities across the globe.

By infecting home routers and IoT devices with harmful malware, these nefarious actors are able to create networks of infected devices that can be used in future attacks.

Cybercriminals use these botnets to launch various cyberattacks, such as distributed denial-of-service also referred to commonly as DDoS attacks.

During a DDoS attack, a significant number of pcs bombard a domain with packet to disrupt connectivity. Such attacks cause havoc for internet service providers and computer security experts trying to prevent it.

Botnet armies are also used to carry out social media campaigns, create anonymous proxy networks, mine for private data, and more.

How are Botnet Armies Identified?

One of the biggest challenges in combating botnet armies is the modular nature of the malware, which can adapt and encrypt its communication easily with the command and control servers.

This makes it difficult for cybersecurity professionals to detect and mitigate these threats effectively.

Thankfully, a number of cybersecurity experts around the world are dedicated to monitoring and analyzing traffic clusters in order to flag and investigate any suspicious communications between devices.

How can a Botnet Army Infiltrate my Network?

Cyber criminals and other malicious actors can exploit privacy issues and potential security threats in internet connected devices to their advantage in order to infect your devices with harmful malware.

A growing trend among Botnet armies is to target end-of-life routers and IoT devices with less security protocols in place compared to newer models available that take into account the growing-trend of these attacks.

Your devices can come into contact with the infectious malware in a number of ways, but the most common is by having an IP address that is visible to the public while browsing online.

These malware infections may go undetected for days, weeks, or even months on an end user’s device.

Concealing your real IP address with a VPN service is one of the best ways to prevent your device’s IP address from being located and targeted as part of an attack.

What is TheMoon Botnet Army?

TheMoon Botnet Army was originally detected in 2014 and previously was thought to have been inactive.

Unexpectedly, an organization known as Black Lotus Labs recently uncovered a new variation of TheMoon as part of a multi-year malware campaign, and its bigger than ever.

TheMoon consists of over 40,000 bots across 88 countries currently and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

By infecting home routers and IoT devices, TheMoon is able to create a growing network of bots that are currently being used to power an anonymous proxy service known as FaceLess.

Why is TheMoon Different from other Botnets?

TheMoon has a unique purpose, and one that is growing in popularity among cyber criminals.

Rather than carry out DDoS attacks, or mine for personal data, TheMoon enrolls its infected devices in an Anonymous Proxy Service known as Faceless.

Faceless is a popular proxy service amongst cyber criminals looking to encrypt and re-route their internet traffic, making it more difficult for law enforcement to trace.

By unitizing a large number of malware infected devices across the globe, FaceLess users are able to access the internet on their devices and all of their online activities are routed through the infected devices as if the activities are taking place there.

This allows the FaceLess user to become untraceable online.

What Devices Are Most At Risk for Botnet Cyber Attacks?

Based off the current trend of TheMoon and FaceLess, it seems older end of life home routers and IoT devices are the most popular targets. Wi-fi 5 or older routers may be due for an upgrade.

With the introduction of Wi-Fi 6,  Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 there are a number of new security and safety protocols in place to keep your network and data secure.

If a device’s password and login credentials are compromised, the entire network of connected devices could be at risk. Protecting your children, parents, and other household members is critical to keeping the network protected as well.

Can a VPN Protect me from a Botnet Cyber Attack?

Security measures such as using a VPN is a great way to help protect against botnet armies, but as security vulnerabilities in connected devices continue to emerge, the battle against botnet armies remains ongoing.

Upgrading to a newer router model with VPN compatibility and additional built-in security features is another great way to thwart the recent botnet cyber attacks that are focused on older, end-of-life router models.

What is an Intrusion Prevention System?

An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a security tool designed to protect a network or system from attack traffic and unexpected disruption.

By using various techniques such as machine learning, simulation, and authentication, an IPS can detect and prevent a wide range of threats, including botnet infections and denial of service attacks.

How Can an Intrusion Prevention System Protect My Network?

Intrusion Prevention Systems protect a number of internet of things (IoT) devices with high accessibility to the outside world, preventing online crime or data breaches where personal information might have been compromised.

By constantly monitoring the network and analyzing potential attack vectors, an IPS can keep the attack surface at bay and prevent unauthorized nodes from connecting to the network.

It works in tandem with an intrusion detection system (IDS) to detection and mitigation any incoming threats. The system can identify the normal and malicious behavior based on a set of performance metrics and use machine learning techniques to adapt and improve the detection process.

What is the Benefit of a VPN Router with Intrusion Prevention?

The benefit of a VPN Router with Intrusion Prevention lies in its ability to compute and block incoming threats in real-time.

This is especially crucial in today’s digital landscape where hackers may deploy new malware to exploit vulnerabilities in devices connected to the network. By utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, the router can detect and prevent unauthorized access to networks.

With the increasing number of IoT devices in homes and businesses, protecting sensitive data has become even more crucial.

A VPN router with intrusion prevention can decentralize security measures and provide a blanket protection layer for all connected devices. By actively monitoring network traffic, the router can detect and prevent intrusions before any harm is done.

Plug and play setups make it easy for users to implement security measures without having to be cybersecurity experts. Furthermore, the ability to detect and prevent attacks in real-time is invaluable in today’s constantly evolving threat landscape.

Whether it’s a Reddit user unknowingly downloading new malware or an attacker attempting to gain access, a VPN router with intrusion prevention can provide peace of mind.

By utilizing cutting-edge technologies, these routers can stay ahead of hackers’ tactics.

Whether it’s a botnet-based attack targeting a specific website or a sophisticated IOT botnet used to generate a massive DDoS attack, the router can adapt to new threats and effectively protect against them.