Since mid-September, a new IoT botnet has grown to massive proportions. Codenamed IoT_reaper (Reaper for this article), researchers estimate its current size at nearly two million infected devices.
According to researchers, the botnet is mainly made up of IP-based security cameras, network video recorders (NVRs), and digital video recorders (DVRs).
Based on Mirai, but not a Mirai offspring
Researchers from Chinese security firm Qihoo 360 Netlab and Israeli security firm Check Point have spotted and analyzed the botnet as it continued to grow during the past month.
Both companies say the botnet uses some code from the Mirai IoT malware, but there are also many new things that make the botnet a standalone threat in its own right.
The biggest difference between Reaper and Mirai is its propagation method. Mirai scanned for open Telnet ports and attempted to log in using a preset list of default or weak credentials.
Reaper does not rely on a Telnet scanner, but primarily uses exploits to forcibly take over unpatched devices and add them to its command and control (C&C) infrastructure.
Netlab says that Reaper, at the time of writing, primarily uses a package for nine vulnerabilities:
D-Link 1,
D-Link 2,
Netgear 1,
Netgear 2,
Linksys,
GoAhead,
JAWS,
Vacron, and
AVTECH.
Check Point also spotted the botnet attacking MicroTik adn TP-Link routers, Synology NAS devices, and Linux servers.
