Botnet of Linux Servers with Dynamic IP Discovered
A Russian Web developer has found a network of a couple of hundred Linux servers that could distribute malware to Windows systems.
Linux being the server system of choice hasn't exactly escaped malware hackers. According to a current blog entry> from Russian developer Denis Sinegubko, a network of (meanwhile just under a hundred) infected Apache servers manage Windows systems through the dynamic DNS providers dyndns.org and no-ip.com and can thereby provide the malicious code.
The compromised Linux servers include dedicated or virtualized Apache webservers. The malware apparently landed on the target clients not because of an Apache vulnerability but due to weak or intercepted passwords or a security hole in the management software used. The attackers therefore installed next to Apache the small Nginx webserver that distributed the malware to the Windows clients. Site admins wouldn't normally notice the break-in because the Apache service wouldn't be affected.
The exact purpose of and, above all, the gateway used for the attacks are still not fully known. Shortly after Sinegubko's blog, the dyndns.com site took more than 100 systems off the net, and no-ip.com blocked about 100 domains after he contacted them. Unfortunately a cat-and-mouse game can ensue because dynamic hostnames can easily be registered.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
Linux botnet
maybe not apache
I think Apache is also running on windows, so linux to be use?
Linux-Botnet
Linux