Botnets are evolving – and becoming increasingly more common and complex. Prolific botnet attacks such as Mirai’s widespread IoT exploitation and the Mariposa botnet have demonstrated how these threats continually adapt. Recent attacks, such as those linked to the hacker group Dark Storm, demonstrate how sophisticated adversaries are weaponizing compromised devices, evading detection, and launching massive-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and credential-stuffing attacks.
As botnets grow in size and complexity, security teams need to anticipate, not just react to, these threats.
What is a botnet attack?
If you’re new to botnet attacks, let’s do a quick refresher on what it looks like and how it works. A botnet, ("robot network") is a collection of computers that have been infected with malware and controlled by a single entity, the "bot herder." Each machine or device under the bot herder's control is considered a bot.
From a central command point, the bot herder can instruct all the bots in the network to carry out coordinated criminal activities simultaneously. The large scale of a botnet, which can consist of millions of bots, allows the attacker to execute extensive operations that would be impossible with traditional malware methods.
How botnet attacks work
Dark Storm and similar hacker groups leverage botnets built on massive networks of infected devices – ranging from traditional computers to IoT endpoints – to launch automated, high-speed attacks. But how are these groups able to pull this off?
Centralized model: Botnets based on a client-server model are centralized and controlled by a single command-and-control server. Once a device has been infected, it communicates with the command-and-control server to, for example, launch attacks or infect other connected devices. From this centralized server, the attacker can control all other infected devices.
Decentralized (P2P) model: When attackers use this model, the malware is replicated on all systems in the botnet, and each system acts as both the client and server. If the attacker is able to communicate with even a single infected bot, the attack can be propagated through any of the other hijacked devices. When this attack model is used, it is much more difficult to identify the person or group in control.
Understanding these models and how groups like Dark Storm facilitate these attacks is crucial for developing effective cybersecurity measures to combat botnet threats.
Solving for today’s DDoS attacks
The Dark Storm attacks have reminded those tasked with ensuring the performance and availability of their applications and APIs that solving for application DDoS is key.
For organizations looking to solve application DDoS attacks with a solution adaptive enough to stop botnet attacks without impacting legitimate traffic, check out Fastly DDoS Protection. Its proprietary Attribute Unmasking engine monitors both your traffic and attribute baselines to identify attacks and surgically separate them from the legitimate traffic it aims to blend with. It is the perfect way to round out your comprehensive DDoS coverage.
A smarter approach to bot defense
The evolving threat landscape requires security teams to rethink how they detect and mitigate botnets. Traditional solutions that rely solely on rate limiting or static IP blocklists are no longer sufficient. Instead, organizations must adopt an adaptive, intelligence-driven approach to bot mitigation.
Dr. Liam Mayron, Staff Product Manager at Fastly, explains: “We’ve seen botnets evolve from simple scripts into highly coordinated attack infrastructures that can overwhelm defenses in minutes. Modern botnets attacks leverage compromised cloud instances and IoT devices to take down defenses. Effective defense and mitigation requires a multi-layered strategy that prioritizes appropriate controls and real-time analytics.”
Security leaders should consider a holistic approach, across all layers, to stay ahead of evolving threats. As botnets continue to adapt, so must our defenses. Are you struggling to secure your business against bot network attacks? Get in touch with a Fastly security expert today.
