March 29, 2024
The United States communications sector is increasingly confronted with significant geopolitical threats. 2023 saw another record year in the world of botnet activity.
- In January 2024, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Congress about Chinese hackers targeting US infrastructure. CISA followed with a related advisory.
- Attackers are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure, even beyond Volt Typhoon.
- Botnets saw a 25% year-over-year increase in activity, with Torpig Mebroot comprising 56% of all botnet detections in 2023.
- There was a noticeable uptick in the activity of other botnets like TorrentLocker, which quadrupled its activity in Q4.[1]
- IoT and AI are increasingly popular avenues for carrying out botnet activity and attractive target vectors for attackers to exploit.
As US government agencies unite to combat threats from nation-state advisories and other APTs, USTelecom continues to lend its efforts and support in this space. In response to these trends, USTelecom members contribute to the following three initiatives:
- Volt Typhoon, Foreign Adversaries, and Major Botnet Takedowns
- IoT Device and Botnet Security
- Artificial Intelligence
While it is too early to declare victory or concede defeat, we are delivering serious and debilitating blows to our adversaries, with the hope of deterring future criminal and malicious botnet activity and protecting civilians and critical infrastructure. Moving forward, it is imperative for communications companies and government agencies to remain vigilant and proactive in defending against emerging threats to ensure the integrity and security of global communication networks.
[1] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/botnets-evolve-as-malware-increases-and-exploits-skyrocket-in-2023-302047892.html