Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Collaborative Takedown Kills IoT Worm ‘Satori’

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    December 19, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      IoT security

      In early December, a new version of Mirai—the internet of things malware responsible for creating a massive botnet that took down internet services in October 2016—started infecting home routers.

      Unlike Mirai, the latest version—dubbed Satori by security researchers—used two exploits in popular routers to compromise IoT devices and build a 700,000-node botnet in less than four days, according to Dale Drew, chief security strategist at internet infrastructure firm Level 3 Communications, now owned by CenturyLink. The attack, which mainly affected devices in Egypt and Latin America, where the specific routers were in widespread use, could have led to another major denial-of-service campaign, he said.

      Instead, security researchers worked with the two largest internet service providers (ISPs) in the areas affected to block traffic to the server managing infected devices—known as a command-and-control (C2) server—and begin patching customers’ routers.

      “We were able to cooperate with the security research community very quickly, we got the command-and-control systems shut down very fast, and we pushed out notices to the two largest ISPs who have those modems,” Drew said. “So the good news is—in very, very quick order—we were able to block scanning on our backbone.”

      The quick reaction and shutdown of the botnet is significant because the Satori malware automatically used any compromised router to scan and infect new systems, which qualifies the code to be a worm, according to an analysis posted by Chinese security firm 360 Netlab on Dec. 5. The company stated that the scanning from the worm had “gotten more intense” and noted the existence of the two exploits, one of which appeared to be a zero-day attack for a previously unknown vulnerability.

      Following the ISPs blocking the command-and-control traffic, 360 Netlab noticed that the scanning dropped off significantly.

      “[W]e observed the C2 sending kill scan command to the bots, and that explains why the scan activities on the two ports started to drop on a global scale,” the company wrote.

      Malware targeting vulnerabilities in the IoT will increasingly be a concern, said CenturyLink’s Drew, because a single vulnerability can be exploited globally.

      “Unlike any other device, a single exposure can be exploited across the entire vendor platform,” he said. “With Windows devices, the attacker is hindered by how each individual person has customized their environment.”

      While the Satori attacker can no longer connect to the compromised devices, the battle between malware authors and security researchers is not over, Drew said. The creator of the Satori malware has shown a quickness to adapt, so Drew warned that the similar attacks will likely continue. Prior to Satori, the attacker created another Mirai variant that similarly exploited Huawei routers, but—taking a page from Mirai’s playbook—used brute-force password guessing as another vector to exploit devices.

      Yet, the system of information exchange and research collaboration worked well and holds out hope that such attacks in the future can be quickly blunted, Drew said.

      “This is one of the few times that we were able to make an event a non-event,” he said. “I’m very proud of the collaborative effort.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×