Security News New Vulnerability Could Give Mirai the Ability to Survive Device Reboots

[LASER_oneXM]

....some quotes from the article above:

Until now, all malware targeting IoT devices survived only until the user rebooted his equipment, which cleared the device's memory and erased the malware from the user's equipment.

Intense Internet scans for vulnerable targets meant that devices survived only minutes until they were reinfected again, which meant that users needed to secure devices with unique passwords or place behind firewalls to prevent exploitation.

New vulnerability allows for permanent Mirai infections
While researching the security of over 30 DVR brands, researchers from Pen Test Partners have discovered a new vulnerability that could allow the Mirai IoT worm and other IoT malware to survive between device reboots, permitting for the creation of a permanent IoT botnet.

"We’ve [...] found a route to remotely fix Mirai vulnerable devices," said Pen Test Partners researcher Ken Munro. "Problem is that this method can also be used to make Mirai persistent beyond a power off reboot."

Understandably, Munro and his colleagues decided to refrain from publishing any details about this flaw, fearing that miscreants might weaponize it and create non-removable versions of Mirai, a malware known for launching some of the biggest DDoS attacks known today.

Vendors working to protect devices from future IoT malware
In addition, last week, Dahua Technologies, one of the companies whose devices were one of the main cannon fodder for Mirai DDoS botnets, announced a partnership with Synopsys Solutions, a cyber-security company, with the intent of improving the firmware of its devices against IoT malware.

This is the second DVR vendor that takes action against Mirai after last year Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology announced it would recall several types of IP cameras that were vulnerable to Mirai malware.

 

[Parsh]

Thankfully, this hasn't happened and the researchers who have found out the way of persistent infection have refrained from publishing the vulnerability.
By this share, I got reminded of the earlier news of Hajime IoT malware that has apparently been a vigilante against Mirai!