Skip to main content

Dissecting RapperBot Botnet: From Infection to DDoS & More

Medium
Published: Wed Sep 03 2025 (09/03/2025, 05:57:23 UTC)
Source: AlienVault OTX General

Description

This report details the analysis of RapperBot, a sophisticated botnet targeting IoT devices, particularly Network Video Recorders (NVRs). The malware exploits vulnerabilities in these devices to create a large-scale DDoS infrastructure. The analysis covers the botnet's infection process, command and control mechanisms, and its evolution over time. Key features include the use of NFS for malware distribution, encrypted DNS TXT records for C2 communication, and a wide range of supported device architectures. The report also discusses recent law enforcement actions against the botnet and provides recommendations for protection against such threats.

AI-Powered Analysis

AILast updated: 09/03/2025, 06:36:57 UTC

Technical Analysis

RapperBot is a sophisticated IoT-focused botnet primarily targeting Network Video Recorders (NVRs). It exploits vulnerabilities in these devices to compromise them and conscript them into a large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) infrastructure. The infection process involves leveraging known exploits against vulnerable NVRs, enabling the malware to gain persistence and control. Notably, RapperBot employs Network File System (NFS) protocols for malware distribution, which is uncommon and allows efficient propagation within local networks or across exposed devices. For command and control (C2) communication, the botnet uses encrypted DNS TXT records, a stealthy technique that helps evade traditional network detection mechanisms by blending C2 traffic with legitimate DNS queries. The botnet supports a wide range of device architectures, increasing its potential reach across diverse IoT environments. The report also highlights the botnet's evolution, including enhancements in its infection vectors and command capabilities, as well as recent law enforcement efforts to disrupt its infrastructure. Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild beyond the botnet’s own activity, the threat remains active and capable of launching significant DDoS attacks using hijacked IoT devices. The malware’s use of advanced techniques such as encrypted DNS communication and NFS-based distribution underscores its sophistication and resilience against detection and takedown efforts.

Potential Impact

For European organizations, RapperBot poses a significant risk primarily through its ability to conscript vulnerable IoT devices into DDoS attacks, which can disrupt critical services and infrastructure. Organizations relying on NVRs for security surveillance, especially in sectors like transportation, manufacturing, retail, and public safety, may face service outages or degraded performance due to DDoS attacks launched from infected devices. The botnet’s use of encrypted DNS TXT records for C2 communication complicates detection and mitigation efforts, potentially allowing prolonged infection periods. Additionally, the widespread support for multiple device architectures means that a broad range of IoT devices deployed across Europe could be vulnerable, increasing the attack surface. The disruption caused by DDoS attacks can lead to financial losses, reputational damage, and operational downtime. Moreover, the infection of surveillance devices could indirectly impact physical security monitoring capabilities. While the botnet itself does not appear to exfiltrate sensitive data, the compromise of IoT devices undermines network integrity and could serve as a foothold for further attacks.

Mitigation Recommendations

European organizations should implement targeted measures beyond generic IoT security advice. First, conduct comprehensive asset inventories to identify all NVRs and IoT devices on the network, including their firmware versions and architectures. Prioritize patching or upgrading devices to the latest firmware that addresses known vulnerabilities exploited by RapperBot. Where patches are unavailable, consider network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices from critical infrastructure and limit lateral movement. Deploy DNS monitoring solutions capable of detecting anomalous or encrypted TXT record queries indicative of C2 communication. Implement strict egress filtering to restrict unauthorized outbound DNS traffic from IoT devices. Utilize network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) tuned to detect NFS traffic anomalies, as NFS is leveraged for malware distribution. Employ behavioral analytics to identify unusual device activity patterns consistent with botnet infection, such as unexpected network scanning or high-volume outbound traffic. Collaborate with ISPs and security vendors to share threat intelligence and participate in coordinated takedown efforts. Finally, enforce strong authentication and disable unnecessary services on IoT devices to reduce exploitation risk.

Need more detailed analysis?Get Pro

Technical Details

Author
AlienVault
Tlp
white
References
["https://www.bitsight.com/blog/rapperbot-infection-ddos-split-second"]
Adversary
RapperBot
Pulse Id
68b7d8c30d43bf797983c817
Threat Score
null

Indicators of Compromise

Ip

ValueDescriptionCopy
ip185.218.87.28
ip185.218.87.29
ip104.194.9.127
ip154.81.156.55
ip185.224.3.231
ip185.36.81.60
ip188.92.28.62
ip192.145.28.71
ip194.226.121.51
ip45.89.63.25
ip62.146.235.220
ip65.21.1.106
ip77.90.153.136
ip82.24.200.137
ip82.24.200.139
ip82.24.200.141
ip82.24.200.45
ip82.24.200.59
ip94.26.90.217

Hash

ValueDescriptionCopy
hash01008691cc1cb4fe2deafd19b02931a8
hash02ce3715eee7a45765b52c3d1e44daa7
hash04b562b0b1448c173178d894a7cc7d1b
hash05fedc7678aec8685f9ae2f0af2f8f93
hash1550b889a9a674de6f7221567d973fad
hash1b8e9d1a08a206ef07471588b9b32696
hash353e2a752a3f73dfa858f57f54353f7a
hash367243961c9e36b030d9df39a4636817
hash41ed814b686f25a3d8bc1820762d5515
hash4fbb5c5a0cfeb4132d1cac1d9efb6279
hash6dddc0ff9d533a66f842a4448afe6217
hash70441bc702893f6383a2c324baba0e19
hash7054fb839379afe38df6f60dabcd56fd
hash71b155baab6cf15e9542f2631b596a6a
hash721c73254e7fe10c4728658f2c546047
hash7857c0f728fa3a1db2d6fcd9783d2e39
hash78b7104ee0d569fdfacfbe9b18c71013
hash7b38b3e620b7427aba934d91e62c5aef
hash936fceb179156ce8d7c87edd13876842
hash9aff45bce598a65ad3f904f1bda32707
hasha0bde997d90acf2dba1631325ab3a04e
hasha28bda91f5b6b4a2b37b797938ab223c
hashb0abbe7e193dd652d16617cc3b46fc19
hashb2cfeb8f24c52f88a46db557723543bb
hashc3151dd7522c4b76e388e688ca34234f
hashc469ba0a37dad9674d5c7da8f5da5009
hashc49259f558690e26305bb5e782d329f8
hashde5916ee947c5fba69e4655e866e65b6
hashf9512cdfcd06610cbcd8d9c4183d2944
hash04202bbb853932243d1e3b0c1cf97df72f9c6349
hash0d9388a10fcae8135ea5cab57b23b346d9b1101f
hash0e57a5761ce5627da423c33e12e23adfade72431
hash262a2bd2f70ae363664205a7f6954b6c4a483275
hash3f3ce288301ed82ad08533120f413d06516310c4
hash42c078a6167575acd985bf5ee03b8bc00556de3d
hash4fc0ad5618ad1e19ae937f9babbe6bf42f91406a
hash5813d7e4d886d6ad629807e73e286b3d77d3f915
hash5ab15468ac13dcc1f1bf664892ba30302b1fda67
hash5e508009e9c5335eeaefc2f2ebebd82f452e098d
hash5f2b542f01812c12b59f160fca9a5dd4535bbdd2
hash67b4de7ae6b743e16d3f988dc18ac4ed54919cd4
hash67fc0d52818e51487c41fcbd625000e5444fab79
hash6e8a0c8e0b3b7a0d75b4dcb150fbf64da2f1f260
hash70e43bb2a3883630c80917ce0eb7754a6ccc3ad0
hash7839ebec01eb9984bbe77d5a2751063f496fcf73
hash7874c180ced5d8c27871d08d0ebe80d34876fd97
hash7d298df04cfb3236bf35647b2fa6ea59d9f52acf
hash7ff3d564793dab6af1e0565a6c879c835b2dcfae
hash83a1cb488346dbbb000d32c483673a1f40606df3
hash843ee489b2668af986f5ffa477e9da3fa5d1d8fa
hash8541d3180037e2725cd4691713b46d788cd1712b
hash94db8b1c8db47d48e88e5fe09af98e8a0b2563e4
hash9b6b040e3b19c8b00d93ac2617a38c574bcec42f
hash9ca53e184bdaf2238983e9fea4c4b5ad2225c28f
hash9dc49baf7bee59980128ad4c29d84bbb0465a107
hash9eadd62447224a70a95c1cf26dc262679f275669
hasha4b98cf875f6cb590cdee21c9e6d53727453581b
hashaadaf1fbdb9a15fb7509b68187b1036f87b277b5
hashaae3b35e3ef542dd34a08abbfcab5b55e7c8e8a4
hashab05f0253641008f61235ff9b46b04f44d735501
hashc091b0aa9e40a879f2cf10744c6d6f79a3c9fa38
hashc12f068fd8b647c6adf666856a20128ae8fdb2ec
hashc38c95603f56b3fa4e6d558d45c6a59899fa6a88
hashda45f3c81aa0c87121792bcc07a8636b65334b1c
hashddd71fbf9d394e0f83e91ca5c6d64df2f41cd9fe
hashe3ea091e86e439d3b8f6410c2f6d75642de9acdf
hashe4117801912821087301fd39b750056a12cb7986
hashe89b06cb87ba1c500ccc21c535f45ecdaf936a86
hashedc837115fba58fb6ad7924d91ba1b8bc4718cfa
hashf09becbb415b564ab15bcec579791f9da2ce80b5
hashf1a9b945f527abbdceb036978692ced718f2a176
hashf4374f52148b1b411ccff7234fce3a0a759da49f
hash067ea583e47d768d50b4cf0e55aaaa37ebdb6dcd2f7b84e890892bbdea6c9740
hash115f01a1bef2044e475b1f440d33bd1c276232d8040c16e8448c8d3e1a824948
hash176858d674f19ed1c385ebfd952caea9f6a76f4b44828d6b8f21985476a35df0
hash329b5885b7e275adac37eb18a80ecdb3caf7be655086997faa2dfbc167d32b2f
hash34bf22669c899430ece4cf3272594d75c29d8bdb1ebb26b2bf0f997f9980fdbf
hash35c14500814ac5bc2c71312bb1323f3be34afa878c7f06cefb0bf26f983564db
hash48a92a17695f17e7585a3a52682dbb578379ff18964b5f651ba4d96ad3563359
hash4c497190ff8e20112e557794ac48cd807872109ee43b1c17f8087f71a5806ea8
hash4ddf8f2d45ab665eb03b99d0af977fd189575420b87fe3840ca6838efc66a7b6
hash520a8d6ba4d9f083361e3c4758e0edb59a865e772571b91500a511a13fb9295b
hash55173c8faa1f6bc92874c55fd280be21f7e581c1076ac50f238ff1c97b9f3a9f
hash7c2198f1d618c12cd7c30328f2c0821d1b0c948adba0b437c529a8272c8d612c
hash943667119371cf93171f54be0cfe586c747fd2e24745235b8b94e5dc112ba3b2
hash9992bb441c3d633b3b14ab98e012761d0cfab06138f405e62c1699ece80d2c18
hasha1a6926b93bf296992cb31de76246f26d75870245f095e6289b83d5d60c4ef48
hasha82594f321a14d22c63b44b8b3f4e5dcb725aeda14db201cfe59d6b37cb8093f
hashad2031698ecda33c6a70f4f63ae07bdc652f196afbf77c7e12d9c9196bbfb9c4
hashae5dbccdfcd0e48e2065b462be5879d1c103e3dc9c553ce8eb319c6385580d78
hashaf2a6f1260fdb05c2c22a0d1443a48a2c6b59a83af4db29b61ae53509246ed63
hashaf9b191bf88db7ea0836f3186a0ffb2bf7932f5a760aad387725f61dc3ce2742
hashb28b57b7fb7affa57befb35ef6287602d1e4602f555dd258ab28333379fa8143
hashc20a92cba56462f28867afa88d261d00da48127aa61af8e8ff38904493abfc91
hashc3665cbba37d4d491c1035c76c5dc5b910d79761d75fd36854eddbcac3866f10
hashc76d487bbf7cb1a6743d397381529f945b229c7df6b2ec27111d095a448f5402
hashc9e4443effd31a916b1a5f2b44c2ed541edccd396e74e91df965d11bdd1e4c90
hashd64ce359bc97c9643e66057dbd0ea9ed69d5272487e873119dc7a01134f852bc
hashe2163251facba4440d24a5e8cebeb71055f0e96c2d1aca04ebcb99e4ecb4c226
hashe6651f3b71839a3017560d80b75d31d52b689ed46708a90cf6306f3997baa34f
hashf351f144a58f1fa8dcacca2dfca3697e1fb2a833d483539999f06ed12e25d40e

Url

ValueDescriptionCopy
urlhttp://185.218.87.28
urlhttp://77.90.153.136/ss/armv4l

Domain

ValueDescriptionCopy
domainbignum.bit
domaineicp.byxwgimpbwiskniw.info
domaineicp.byxwgimpbwiskniw.live
domaineicp.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.info
domaineicp.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.live
domaineicp.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.info
domaineicp.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.live
domaineicp.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.info
domaineicp.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.live
domainkdxa.byxwgimpbwiskniw.info
domainkdxa.byxwgimpbwiskniw.live
domainkdxa.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.info
domainkdxa.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.live
domainkdxa.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.info
domainkdxa.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.live
domainkdxa.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.info
domainkdxa.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.live
domainkhbw.byxwgimpbwiskniw.info
domainkhbw.byxwgimpbwiskniw.live
domainkhbw.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.info
domainkhbw.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.live
domainkhbw.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.info
domainkhbw.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.live
domainkhbw.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.info
domainkhbw.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.live
domainpool.rentcheapcars.sbs
domainyfrv.byxwgimpbwiskniw.info
domainyfrv.byxwgimpbwiskniw.live
domainyfrv.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.info
domainyfrv.gaihwstpzuomtfnu.live
domainyfrv.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.info
domainyfrv.gwyhhcorybwjwuzh.live
domainyfrv.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.info
domainyfrv.zkuafimfdwvetxjq.live

Threat ID: 68b7dd8dad5a09ad00edd125

Added to database: 9/3/2025, 6:17:49 AM

Last enriched: 9/3/2025, 6:36:57 AM

Last updated: 9/3/2025, 9:38:49 AM

Views: 7

Actions

PRO

Updates to AI analysis are available only with a Pro account. Contact root@offseq.com for access.

Please log in to the Console to use AI analysis features.

External Links

Need enhanced features?

Contact root@offseq.com for Pro access with improved analysis and higher rate limits.

Latest Threats