Security News > 2023 > July > AVrecon malware infects 70,000 Linux routers to build botnet
Since at least May 2021, stealthy Linux malware called AVrecon was used to infect over 70,000 Linux-based small office/home office routers to a botnet designed to steal bandwidth and provide a hidden residential proxy service.
According to Lumen's Black Lotus Labs threat research team, while the AVrecon remote access trojan compromised over 70,000 devices, only 40,000 were added to the botnet after gaining persistence.
The malware has largely managed to evade detection since it was first spotted in May 2021 when it was targeting Netgear routers.
"Threat actors are using AVrecon to proxy traffic and to engage in malicious activity like password spraying. This is different from the direct network targeting we saw with our other router-based malware discoveries," said Michelle Lee, threat intelligence director of Lumen Black Lotus Labs.
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