New Win-DDoS Flaws Let Attackers Turn Public Domain Controllers into DDoS Botnet via RPC, LDAP
Source: https://thehackernews.com/2025/08/new-win-ddos-flaws-let-attackers-turn.html
A large-scale Malware-as-a-Service operation, orchestrated by Chinese-speaking threat actors, has infected over 11,000 Android devices globally with the PlayPraetor Remote Access Trojan. The campaign primarily targets Europe, with significant presence in Portugal, Spain, and France, but also affects Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The botnet is expanding rapidly, with over 2,000 new infections weekly, focusing on Spanish and French speakers. The operation is managed through a sophisticated Chinese-language Command and Control panel, supporting multiple affiliates. PlayPraetor abuses Android's Accessibility Services to gain real-time control over compromised devices, targeting nearly 200 banking apps and cryptocurrency wallets worldwide.
Google sues to disrupt BadBox 2.0 botnet infecting 10 million devices
Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-sues-to-disrupt-badbox-20-botnet-infecting-10-million-devices/
Androxgh0st Botnet Expands Reach, Exploiting US University Servers
Source: https://hackread.com/androxgh0st-botnet-expand-exploit-us-university-servers/
Unit 42 researchers identified a new wave of Prometei botnet attacks in March 2025. The malware, which includes Linux and Windows variants, allows remote control of compromised systems for cryptocurrency mining and credential theft. Prometei is actively developed, incorporating new modules and methods, including a backdoor for various malicious activities. It uses a domain generation algorithm for C2 infrastructure and self-updating features for evasion. The article analyzes versions three and four of the Linux variant, highlighting differences from version two. Prometei's modular architecture makes it highly adaptable, with components for brute-forcing credentials, exploiting vulnerabilities, mining cryptocurrency, stealing data, and C2 communication. The botnet's primary goal is Monero mining, but it also has secondary capabilities like credential theft and deploying additional malware payloads.
HUMAN's Satori team uncovered and partially disrupted BADBOX 2.0, a complex fraud operation targeting over 1 million low-cost consumer devices worldwide. The scheme involves a backdoor pre-installed on devices or distributed through unofficial app marketplaces, allowing threat actors to conduct various fraudulent activities. These include selling residential proxy services, ad fraud through hidden ads and WebViews, and click fraud. Four main threat actor groups were identified: SalesTracker, MoYu, Lemon, and LongTV. The operation affects Android Open Source Project devices in 222 countries, with Brazil being the most impacted. Disruption efforts involved collaboration with Google and other partners to mitigate the threat's impact.
A new Go-based Linux botnet named PumaBot has been identified targeting IoT devices, particularly surveillance systems. It brute-forces SSH credentials using lists from a C2 server, then deploys itself and establishes persistence. The malware disguises itself as legitimate system files, creates systemd services, and adds SSH keys for backdoor access. It also includes components for credential theft and system monitoring. The botnet demonstrates sophisticated evasion techniques and aims for long-term access to compromised devices.
The TA-ShadowCricket group, formerly known as Shadow Force, has been active in the Asia-Pacific region since 2012, targeting Windows servers and MS-SQL servers. They operate an IRC server with over 2,000 affected IPs in 72 countries. The group uses various malware and tools, including Upm, SqlShell, Maggie, and Wgdrop. Their activities involve three stages: initial access and reconnaissance, backdoor deployment, and additional malicious behaviors. The group has connections to China and has been quietly stealing information for over 13 years without demanding ransom or releasing stolen data. Their persistent activity suggests preparation for potential large-scale attacks in the future.
The infostealer Danabot has been disrupted in a multinational law enforcement operation. ESET has been tracking Danabot since 2018, contributing to the effort by providing technical analyses and identifying C&C servers. Danabot operates as a malware-as-a-service, offering various features like data theft, keylogging, and remote control. It has been used to distribute additional malware, including ransomware. The malware's authors promote their toolset through underground forums, providing affiliates with an administration panel, backconnect tool, and proxy server application. Distribution methods have included email spam, other malware, and misuse of Google Ads. Danabot employs a proprietary encrypted communication protocol and offers multiple build options for affiliates.
A recent incident response case in Brazil revealed a Perl-based crypto mining botnet called Outlaw, also known as Dota, targeting Linux environments. The threat actor exploits weak SSH credentials, downloads malicious scripts, and deploys an XMRig miner for Monero cryptocurrency. The botnet includes an IRC-based client that acts as a backdoor, allowing for various malicious activities. Victims have been identified mainly in the United States, with additional targets in Germany, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, and Brazil. The article provides detailed analysis of the malware's components, persistence mechanisms, and evasion techniques. Recommendations for system administrators include hardening SSH configurations and implementing additional security measures to mitigate the risk of compromise.
