Tuesday, May 6, 2025
HomeBotnetHackers Attacking Linux Cloud Servers To Gain Complete Control

Hackers Attacking Linux Cloud Servers To Gain Complete Control

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Follow Us on Google News

Malware storage, distribution, and command and control (C2) operations are increasingly being used to leverage cloud services for recent cybersecurity threats. 

But, this complicates the detection process and all the prevention efforts. 

Security researchers at FortiGuard Labs have recently observed that the botnets like UNSTABLE and Condi have been actively exploiting the Linux cloud platforms to gain control and storage. 

- Advertisement - Google News

Hackers Attacking Linux Servers

Moreover, threat actors are also targeting various devices and systems, including JAWS webservers, Dasan GPON and Huawei HG532 routers, TP-Link Archer AX21, and Ivanti Connect Secure, by exploiting multiple vulnerabilities to strengthen their attacks.

Scan Your Business Email Inbox to Find Advanced Email Threats - Try AI-Powered Free Threat Scan

JAWS Webserver RCE vulnerability (CVE-2016-20016) is the starting access point of UNSTABLE Botnet, which is a Mirai variant that downloads downloader script from a particular IP.

Attack flow (Source – Fortinet)

The botnet contains three main modules: scanner, DDoS attack, and exploitation. It scans for several vulnerabilities and brute-forces using hard-coded credentials; it also has nine methods to attack using DDoS techniques.

This botnet’s configuration is XOR-encoded, and it supports thirteen architectures.

The choice of attack techniques is determined by the commands issued by the C2 server, which helps demonstrate how versatile the botnet is and its potential impact.

Infecting devices to distribute malware from trembolone.zapto.org (45.128.232.90) by the Condi DDoS botnet result from CVE-2023-1389 being exploited.

FortiGuard Labs revealed two main IP addresses, 45.128.232.229 (attack source and C2 server) and 209.141.35.56 (malware storage). There are various DoS tools in use by the botnet for different Linux architectures.

The script connects to the C2 server, collects information on running processes, and transmits it back.

It seems that during this setup, separate malware storage was used in the cloud-based C2 infrastructure to check if a device could be infected before proceeding further with the infection stages.

Skibidi malware is based on two vulnerabilities, “CVE-2023-1389 in TP-Link Archer AX21″ and “CVE-2024-21887 in Ivanti Connect Secure.” It utilizes a script that pulls the right architecture for Linux to be attacked.

The malware sidesteps detection by employing tactics like process forking, string encoding, and process name manipulation.

The malware connects with the Command & Control (C2) server, watches system events occurring on it as well as sends itself reports back.

With this new breed of malware exploiting cloud services for its operations, it is clear that organizations need to step up their defenses against cloud-based threats.

To prevent such sophisticated cyber threats, multi-layered security mechanisms consisting of regular patches and network segmentation must be implemented.

IoCs

C2:-

  • 45[.]128[.]232[.]15
  • 45[.]128[.]232[.]90
  • 45[.]128[.]232[.]229
  • 45[.]128[.]232[.]234

URLs:-

  • hxxp://45[.]128[.]232[.]15
  • hxxp://45[.]128[.]232[.]90
  • hxxp://45[.]128[.]232[.]229
  • hxxp://209[.]141[.]35[.]56/getters
  • hxxp://45[.]128[.]232[.]234

Files:-

  • d5e81e9575dcdbbaa038a5b9251531d8beccedc93bd7d250a4bb2389c1615cd6
  • 6226e896850de8c5550b63481b138067582ebf361f7c5448d9d0596062150d89
  • 4c2dcd13685f24800b73856d1f3ec9a2c53c2b5480a9c10b73035a43df26c2e8
  • 31914b317ba6a44a9d3acb99979ec8c163bef8667b0ae41524e335847d70afb0
  • 5fbfc4c8204309e911d22d3b544773f8d4f9ab2edc71f8967bbdcce6cbc834ca
  • 53daa1e4c2f5c11a75989334c2a0227689509606aeda9d7ab11dd200ee6138c6
  • a9690df4542f28fc4e3b9161b9f8d685d4ce8753bfd9b1f5c8aacd6aa4bef873
  • fb86bb0863d15ac65a916979052220f755765eb0d5bc4c1c47e34762738d2311
  • cd05eaa2b01ec1a4880839628d1c6e3bed9045478cacbfb88f14d1937ccf667b
  • c88da56b348f8d89b5ab99a710de7131bdbc2f1dba4bb9809b1b3fd27322630e
  • 83a2608a93b643f68ab3dcfccf8de7b13394cc214a78fa59b6867e47fc56928c
  • 3660fbe90420f60664e68859de918a5c592dd33024f69bebff8bb77ab41b8fca
  • 75b594a20110e487e35ec4590a5211a425119cdf0fea6fcf030ee20cb548b7e5
  • ef2e57a5992d85ea2bfb5c5645f8b361dcd5c49eede38185a7b99ec00c287550
  • 2e69d9942a4c0d6d0294d038263f2d12f3a5f6aef8d72279b01e025d32addab2
  • 1a8508f62447e5ee624866b571a29cedc369d6ee8182782f32a75dcd58494d8c
  • 305e0eb9b815dddd40d73f4464946a0ec21866b7727e4fe073692bf82bb46936
  • 0092b27bee2df9536e8aff8948a1007ed1eb03f0e12e0348b72a113e7d4cb585
  • 65f2850892365a4d6bafc303ed04379bef3b41a85336e274f9348603105d2f37
  • c569eb7f33dcec3e6cdcfee7195202813fda6b7bf9ecb786a4a909d6745cbbff
  • 5110f8af13cdd872b904784d2aec75031c663baad01d68b5f05daa950d18ced3
  • eec122d6480803bcdd2c6906b0ae35bcffaf6bf5117dac8c7b2621f0b98b68ea
  • 9f14cdea1b41ac1c7251e3f2d4186e12d480d108942bc8f1f7bcac133ed88ccc
  • 5a0a8de050cc8ad2f9af41e4018b0317afc39c571f23bc9cfa115c6558205722
  • eb9ba3171a98dc543cbc599eb6ab9aa3a5a47cc6931afe511fa839c6a5fb889c
  • 1825c787c308d3cb1125d416025af8c8344a158f0a0b3467df6c0c875d2d8800
  • eb926f93bdd9b38d44d2239b4ec9c1d45762f850bee80cf9556b23372b6f0639
  • 8fb6110b2114e7786b1d4e7f600a08de0a25432417f863d9663d576a3c895e86
  • dc87ff82199cb60a8bcf59d4f8c0a706bf10051d0c15a911d37d1cda8fcf5f9e
  • 1816c473ba94f4740c0931e118d038ecb0733f8ffb7cbb74dedc7b78952f8318
  • d4dbd379f914ff5ba40c1aac1be37602e4cde687e47cfd7793cb10192617f4af
  • d034664f627af11bd2a34ba1b228b5a6841309caabfd72a731bbd4724d947e27
  • 4cc2110f89afac1de0c1989d0af07f8879003cac0803660f37cf394a0027db69
  • bd42e67e6238dfec0b7786797733c54ae1d92fe0e883758dddea779e113b5271
  • bd42e67e6238dfec0b7786797733c54ae1d92fe0e883758dddea779e113b5271
  • e758c4428a590519a281344a31f236146c996c784433fbe82eee009dd922516c
  • 3a3581da268d0fdb8c8027e261b682b07b6715c62fbf2c8aca301b7e8dd9d637
  • 6e21e400928f24630339441f6da0f3f1b66860bf480a9f5af20482878b686189
  • 8363ecc977d426f0e922abbeb4f1e8ed06397c0b6951dd75233016d3b5af58c
  • e511f5c8fc0bd713dc9b9742e8c682ba66177bb617e9118f84b150cf6ff4a07f
  • ddcb420c4141760feed2fc8c76425b72ab111d271385040c1446f6ab3993c6d7
  • 2b526e5ac01916d74e7aa88770102a8f34d4c57cea7a4e45c501331670635e26
  • 666eed520d2b430e1016eec555c0cd125912f9a8f7590d77c286eff52416fbaf
  • ba4229f5e44c378ae293b58139233a9bfbecbfd22fb51e05f74de38b186a071c
  • c376db6e6f6905113e7beb1f14d8e5a44b8374a959eefd0f5d25ab0f3cbabee2
  • ae999de92c369e53a3287ab034f2839367b44f7fd82d6ed56a5700c22ed44635
  • e94b6b99fae4dc8e5b0796c877ed01bf25f77ccab95fb43d24abed00e0f8a15a
  • 8fcb5c4c5306f3e7ffa2a47dedaddc108c77ef8ef48ec0980a0c441333e0a18b
  • 34f653119e418621c1cbfe7cf0614ea62e9a98dc345e4d7408eea96a08d3ac0d
  • a51333460fb711e0b172b6e4893d5bca6b9996f240b450fdaa5cbf14511c9e27
  • 90a43ca83efb2d460b86ff897b1bc657170b6c79c2c804610cdfca8f24adc71e
  • c5b6320925963ca6d5439dca7154c526c3a26500e204b48ff30a50c3a1b875ad
  • e7d87e68265a9a324d76759cca4f613c28c590b36490c8c65ee3d17918e5d3ec
  • 2867b3fd3c840aa9c868a88a5f6d417a09e4158f8209f0450a07eeb7e99ba4c8

Free Webinar! 3 Security Trends to Maximize MSP Growth -> Register For Free

Tushar Subhra
Tushar Subhra
Tushar is a Cyber security content editor with a passion for creating captivating and informative content. With years of experience under his belt in Cyber Security, he is covering Cyber Security News, technology and other news.

Latest articles

BFDOOR Malware Targets Organizations to Establish Long-Term Persistence

The BPFDoor malware has emerged as a significant threat targeting domestic and international organizations,...

Uncovering the Security Risks of Data Exposure in AI-Powered Tools like Snowflake’s CORTEX

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the technological landscape, tools like Snowflake’s CORTEX Search...

UNC3944 Hackers Shift from SIM Swapping to Ransomware and Data Extortion

UNC3944, a financially-motivated threat actor also linked to the group known as Scattered Spider,...

Over 2,800 Hacked Websites Targeting MacOS Users with AMOS Stealer Malware

Cybersecurity researcher has uncovered a massive malware campaign targeting MacOS users through approximately 2,800...

Resilience at Scale

Why Application Security is Non-Negotiable

The resilience of your digital infrastructure directly impacts your ability to scale. And yet, application security remains a critical weak link for most organizations.

Application Security is no longer just a defensive play—it’s the cornerstone of cyber resilience and sustainable growth. In this webinar, Karthik Krishnamoorthy (CTO of Indusface) and Phani Deepak Akella (VP of Marketing – Indusface), will share how AI-powered application security can help organizations build resilience by

Discussion points


Protecting at internet scale using AI and behavioral-based DDoS & bot mitigation.
Autonomously discovering external assets and remediating vulnerabilities within 72 hours, enabling secure, confident scaling.
Ensuring 100% application availability through platforms architected for failure resilience.
Eliminating silos with real-time correlation between attack surface and active threats for rapid, accurate mitigation

More like this

BFDOOR Malware Targets Organizations to Establish Long-Term Persistence

The BPFDoor malware has emerged as a significant threat targeting domestic and international organizations,...

Uncovering the Security Risks of Data Exposure in AI-Powered Tools like Snowflake’s CORTEX

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the technological landscape, tools like Snowflake’s CORTEX Search...

UNC3944 Hackers Shift from SIM Swapping to Ransomware and Data Extortion

UNC3944, a financially-motivated threat actor also linked to the group known as Scattered Spider,...