Mirai is an example of the newest trend in rapidly evolving, constantly improving malware. These seven variants show how threat actors are making bad malware worse.

Change, as we know, is the only constant. Malware – which is evolving rapidly, sprouting new features and functionality, and becoming more difficult to find and eradicate – is no exception to the rule. 

One of the most notable examples is Mirai, botnet malware first described in August 2016. Mirai quickly won notoriety as the engine for some of the largest DDoS attacks seen to date.

Ever since Mirai's author, a hacker going by the handle Anna-Senpai, released the malware's source code less than two years ago, the malware community has been enthusiastically developing new variants. Some change specific IoT devices, some change the purpose of the bots, some combine Mirai with other malware families, and some add new capabilities and functionality. With every new variant, the legacy of Mirai is extended.

With agile discipline spreading to malware, it is useful to look at the evolution of Mirai as an example of what could happen to other malware families. While there is nothing new in malware authors trying to stay ahead of defenders, their methods and the speed with which their new variants are entering the public sphere have become more advanced.

About the Author(s)

Curtis Franklin, Principal Analyst, Omdia

Curtis Franklin Jr. is Principal Analyst at Omdia, focusing on enterprise security management. Previously, he was senior editor of Dark Reading, editor of Light Reading's Security Now, and executive editor, technology, at InformationWeek, where he was also executive producer of InformationWeek's online radio and podcast episodes

Curtis has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has been on staff and contributed to technology-industry publications including BYTE, ComputerWorld, CEO, Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking.

Curtis is the author of thousands of articles, the co-author of five books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. His most recent books, Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, and Securing the Cloud: Security Strategies for the Ubiquitous Data Center, with co-author Brian Chee, are published by Taylor and Francis.

When he's not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in running, amateur radio (KG4GWA), the MakerFX maker space in Orlando, FL, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

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