• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Allianz Life data breach exposed the data of most of its 1.4M customers

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 55

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 534 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

 | 

Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

 | 

Operation CargoTalon targets Russia’s aerospace with EAGLET malware,

 | 

Unpatched flaw in EoL LG LNV5110R cameras lets hackers gain Admin access

 | 

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Cyber Crime
  • Hacking
  • Internet of Things
  • Malware
  • Crooks using Linux.ProxyM IoT botnet to send spam messages

Crooks using Linux.ProxyM IoT botnet to send spam messages

Pierluigi Paganini September 22, 2017

Experts at security firm Doctor Web discovered a new botnet of IoT devices leveraging the Linux.ProxyM, that is used by crooks for mass spam mailings.

The most popular thingbot since now is the Mirai, but it isn’t the only one targeting Linux-based internet-of-things (IoT) devices.

Researchers with security firm Doctor Web discovered a new botnet of IoT devices leveraging the Linux.ProxyM, that is used by crooks for mass spam mailings.

Experts first analyzed the Linux.ProxyM in July, it was used to create a proxy network through SOCKS proxy server on infected devices that are used to relay malicious traffic, disguising his real source.

The Trojan has been noted since February 2017 but peaked in late May as reported in the chart below.

Linux malware proxym_en.2

According to Dr. Web, the number of devices infected with Linux.ProxyM reached 10,000 units in July since its discovery in February 2017.

Recently the Linux.ProxyM trojan has recently been updated to add mas spam sending capabilities to earn money.

“The number of malicious programs capable of infecting “smart” Linux devices is constantly increasing. A major portion of them is designed to mount DDoS attacks and ensure online anonymity. Research conducted by Doctor Web’s specialists has revealed that cybercriminals are using such Linux Trojans for mass mailings.” reads the analysis from Dr. Web.

The malware is capable of detecting honeypots in order to hide from malware researchers and can operate on almost any Linux device, including routers, set-top boxes, and other equipment.

Experts identified two builds of this Linux.ProxyM Trojan for devices based on x86, MIPS, MIPSEL, PowerPC, ARM, Superh, Motorola 68000, and SPARC architectures.

Once the Linux.ProxyM infects a device, it connects to a command and control (C&C) server and downloads the addresses of two Internet nodes, once providing a list of logins and passwords, the second

The C&C server also sends a command containing an SMTP server address, the credentials used to access it, a list of email addresses, and a message template, which contains advertising for various adult-content sites.

Below the content of the typical spam message spread by the infected devices:

Subject: Kendra asked if you like hipster girls
A new girl is waiting to meet you.
And she is a hottie!
Go here to see if you want to date this hottie
(Copy and paste the link to your browser)
http://whi*******today.com/
Check out sexy dating profiles
There are a LOT of hotties waiting to meet you if we are being honest!

The thingbot is very effective, on an average, each infected device can send out 400 of such emails per day.

“A C&C server sends a command to an infected device. The command contains an SMTP server address, the login and password used to access it, a list of email addresses, and a message template of itself. These emails contain advertising for various adult-content websites.” continues the analysis.

Doctor Web has no information about the total number of infected devices, the experts noted several Linux.ProxyM attacks launched during the past 30 days, most of the infected devices are located in Brazil and the US, followed by Russia, India, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, Poland, France and Argentina.

Linux.proxyM

“We can presume that the range of functions implemented by Linux Trojans will be expanded in the future,” concluded Dr Web.

“The Internet of things has long been a focal point for cybercriminals. The wide distribution of malicious Linux programs capable of infecting devices possessing various hardware architectures serves as proof of that.”

[adrotate banner=”9″] [adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – Linux Malware, IoT devices)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

IoT Linux malware Linux.ProxyM malware mining spam

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 27, 2025
Allianz Life data breach exposed the data of most of its 1.4M customers
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 27, 2025
SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 55
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Allianz Life data breach exposed the data of most of its 1.4M customers

    Data Breach / July 27, 2025

    SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 55

    Malware / July 27, 2025

    Security Affairs newsletter Round 534 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

    Breaking News / July 27, 2025

    Law enforcement operations seized BlackSuit ransomware gang’s darknet sites

    Cyber Crime / July 26, 2025

    Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea in U.S. IT job fraud scheme

    Intelligence / July 26, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT