Iot Under Siege: Record-Breaking Ddos Attacks Hit Critical Mass

The Internet of Things (IoT) has once again become a breeding ground for malicious actors, with thousands of devices being infected to create record-breaking distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. As the clock strikes 2025, it’s already becoming clear that this year will be one to remember for cybersecurity experts and network administrators.

A recent study by Cloudflare revealed that the first week of the year saw an unprecedented surge in DDoS attacks, with one particularly devastating incident delivering a staggering 5.6 terabits per second of junk traffic – a new record for the largest DDoS ever reported. The attack, which targeted an unnamed Cloudflare customer, was sourced from 13,000 IoT devices infected with a variant of Mirai malware.

Meanwhile, security firm Qualys has been tracking a “large-scale, ongoing operation” dubbed the Murdoc Botnet. This malicious network exploits vulnerabilities to install Mirai variants primarily on AVTECH Cameras and Huawei HG532 routers, with over 1,500 compromised devices currently participating in the botnet. The threat landscape is further complicated by the emergence of new malware families, such as Bashlite.

In a recent report, Trend Micro noted that this malware family has been responsible for delivering devastating attacks since late last year, with a majority of targets in Japan. Security firm Infoblox has also discovered a botnet comprising 13,000 devices – mostly MikroTik routers – which they liken to “a large cannon poised and ready to unleash a barrage of malicious activities.” Researchers have observed that this botnet is primarily used to generate malicious spam emails.

The alarming rise in IoT-driven DDoSes highlights the urgent need for improved security measures across the Internet ecosystem. Manufacturers, operators, and end-users must take proactive steps to strengthen their defenses against these types of attacks.