Washington: Tens of thousands of internet-connected devices cleaned and released by the FBI have been hijacked once again by cybercriminals, sparking record-breaking digital attacks that experts warn could threaten national internet infrastructure.
Law enforcement officials and cybersecurity firms are now locked in a race against rapidly evolving botnets, networks of hacked computers, smart TVs, routers, and other devices, that are increasingly being weaponized as tools of cyber warfare.
What Are Botnets and Why They Matter
Botnets are networks of private computers and smart devices infected with malicious software and remotely controlled without the owner’s knowledge. Traditionally, they have been used to spread spam, steal data, or carry out ransomware campaigns.
More recently, botnets have become powerful cyber weapons capable of launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which overwhelm servers and cripple websites or even national internet systems.
The FBI recently released around 95,000 infected devices after removing old malware, but many of them were swiftly re-hijacked by a new botnet group in what experts described as a “feeding frenzy.”
According to reports in The Wall Street Journal and cybersecurity firm Cloudflare, a botnet group called Aisuru seized control of over a quarter of the devices cleaned by the FBI.
On September 1, Aisuru launched the largest DDoS attack ever recorded, flooding the internet with 11.5 trillion bits per second of junk traffic, enough to overwhelm the combined download speeds of more than 50,000 homes.
“This was a world record in attack intensity,” Cloudflare noted, warning that such incidents highlight the growing sophistication of botnets.
Unlike older networks that relied on personal computers, Aisuru primarily exploits internet-linked devices such as routers, security cameras, and smart TVs, gadgets that are rarely updated and left constantly online.
Millions of Smart TVs Part of Global Botnets
Google has also tracked the rapid rise of botnets built from smart TVs. One such network grew from 74,000 Android TV devices in 2023 to more than 10 million within two years, making it the largest smart-TV-based botnet ever detected.
Initially used for ad fraud, such networks could easily be repurposed for ransomware or DDoS campaigns, Google warned.
Cyber Warfare Weapons
Experts say botnets are no longer just tools for cybercriminals; they are being deployed in geopolitical conflicts. The UK has accused Russia’s GRU of using botnets in 2022 to disable Ukrainian banks ahead of its military invasion.
Another emerging network, ResHydra, built from tens of millions of devices, has shifted from online fraud to full-scale cyberattacks. Analysts warn that a botnet of such scale could “do extreme damage to a country” if weaponized.
“The concern is shifting from the vulnerability of websites to the vulnerability of entire nations,” said Craig Labovitz, head of technology at Nokia’s Deepfield division.
Cyber experts warn that if networks like Aisuru and ResHydra continue to grow or merge forces, even tech giants such as Google and Amazon may struggle to fend them off.
