U.S. Disrupts China-Linked Botnet: What's Going On? - Ep 116

Reimagining Cyber - real world perspectives on cybersecurity

In this episode, Rob Aragao talks about a recent joint cybersecurity advisory highlighting People's Republic of China-linked actors compromising routers and IoT devices for botnet operations. The advisory points to over 260,000 IoT devices, impacted by a botnet called Raptor Train.

It’s being alleged that Integrity Technology Group (Integrity Tech) are behind the incident. The report says

“[Integrity Technology Group is a] company based in the PRC with links to the PRC government. Integrity Tech has used China Unicom Beijing Province Network IP addresses to control and manage the botnet described in this advisory. In addition to managing the botnet, these same China Unicom Beijing Province Network IP addresses were used to access other operational infrastructure employed in computer intrusion activities against U.S. victims. FBI has engaged with multiple U.S. victims of these computer intrusions and found activity consistent with the tactics, techniques, and infrastructure associated with the cyber threat group known publicly as Flax Typhoon, RedJuliett, and Ethereal Panda.”

Detected by Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs, the advisory was issued by the FBI, NSA, and Cyber National Mission Force.

Rob explains that the botnet leverages code from the notorious Mirai malware, designed to exploit IoT devices running Linux-based systems, which has been in circulation for nearly a decade. He breaks down the architecture of the botnet, including its three-tier structure, and the role of compromised IoT devices, command-and-control servers, and management layers.

Additionally, the discussion explores China's growing focus on cybersecurity talent recruitment, including the Matrix Cup, a hacking competition co-sponsored by Integrity Technology Group. The episode also offers recommendations for mitigating IoT device vulnerabilities, such as strong password management, patch updates, and network segmentation.

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