In a surprising development, Microsoft has recently discovered a Windows/Linux botnet that was being used to perpetrate distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on a number of websites.
The botnet, dubbed Apophis, was found by Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit while they were conducting an investigation into the activities of a group of hackers going by the aliases “Mythic Lions” and “ElectroRAT”.
The attackers were using the Apophis botnet to send a huge volume of internet traffic to various websites with the intention of overwhelming them and bringing them down. This type of attack is known as a DDoS attack, and is often used by hackers for their own nefarious purposes.
The botnet was a combination of Windows and Linux machines, making it harder to detect and mitigate. It was spreading by using malicious emails and taking advantage of vulnerable web applications and the Remote Desktop Protocol.
Microsoft was able to take down the botnet by working with the hosting providers that ran the infected machines. The hosting providers took immediate action and removed the malicious code, helping to protect their customers.
Microsoft is now providing technical guidance and resources to help victims of Apophis mitigate the threat. They are also collaborating with law enforcement to bring the attackers to justice.
This is not the first time that Microsoft has uncovered a large-scale botnet threat. It is just the latest in a series of examples of the company’s efforts to protect users from malicious actors on the internet.
Overall, Microsoft’s discovery of the Apophis botnet shows that the company is dedicated to combating cybercrime. As cyber criminals continue to become more sophisticated, having Microsoft on the case is an important step in the fight against malicious actors.
