The podcast discusses the Mariposa Botnet, which infected millions of PCs and targeted Future 100 companies. It reveals that the botnet was operated by script kiddies with no coding knowledge. The podcast explores the origins and creation of the botnet, as well as the use of dynamic DNS to evade law enforcement. It also delves into the collaboration and formation of the Mariposa Working Group, their efforts to take down the botnet, and the forensic investigation that led to the arrest of the botnet's accomplices. The podcast ends with announcements about a New York listeners meetup and mentions of job opportunities and sponsors.
The Mariposa botnet infected major corporations and banks, emphasizing the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.
By targeting the dynamic DNS system, Chris Davis successfully dismantled the Mariposa botnet, exposing the audacity and lack of technical expertise of its operators.
In 2009, Luis Coronis, a researcher at a Spanish cybersecurity company, encountered two individuals who turned out to be the botnet operators he helped the Spanish police arrest. The encounter was unexpected and occurred in the stairwell of his office building. Luis's face turned white as he realized he was face-to-face with the very individuals he had exposed and brought to justice. The incident highlighted the challenges law enforcement faces in combating cybercrime and the audacity of those involved.
The rise of the Mariposa botnet
The Mariposa botnet, meaning 'Butterfly' in Spanish, was a massive botnet that infected millions of computers worldwide. It was the brainchild of Matias Scorniak, a Slovenian programmer, who created the complex software called BfBot, which allowed cyber criminals to control an army of bots for various criminal activities. The botnet, operated by Net Cairo and other cyber criminals, propagated through infected downloads, email spam, and other means. It infected major corporations and banks, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity measures.
Defense Intelligence's clever takedown strategy
Chris Davis, a Canadian security consultant, came up with a clever strategy to identify and dismantle the Mariposa botnet. He targeted the dynamic DNS system used by the botnet's command and control servers. By analyzing heavily queried domains and identifying regular intervals of communication, Davis and his team successfully took over one of the command and control domains. This breakthrough allowed them to gain control of the botnet and exposed the true scale and impact of Mariposa's activities.
The downfall and aftermath of the Mariposa botnet
Through the collaborative efforts of the Mariposa Working Group, which included cybersecurity companies, law enforcement agencies, and research institutions, the Mariposa botnet was ultimately dismantled on December 23, 2009. However, the story didn't end there. Net Cairo, the botnet operator, attempted to regain control and even approached Luis Coronis, offering his services in cybersecurity. His attempts to blackmail and intimidate failed, leading to his eventual arrest, along with his accomplices. The incident highlighted the audacity and lack of technical expertise of the botnet operators, and served as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in fighting cybercrime.
In 2008, The 12 million PCs strong Mariposa Botnet infected almost half of Furture 100 companey - but the three men who ran it were basiclly script kiddies who didn't even knew how to code.