Recent investigations by XLab have uncovered the massive scale of the Kimwolf botnet, which has infected millions of devices across 222 countries. The malware is specifically designed for Android-based TV boxes and utilizes sophisticated techniques such as DNS over TLS and blockchain-based domain hiding to remain active. By tracking the infrastructure, researchers found that the botnet issued over 1.7 billion attack commands in just a three-day window, demonstrating a level of coordination and power rarely seen in consumer-targeted malware.
The technical architecture of Kimwolf is built on the wolfSSL library and borrows significant code from the Aisuru malware family, though it has been redesigned to better evade modern security scanners. It possesses a wide range of capabilities beyond simple attacks, including proxy forwarding, file management, and reverse shells. To prevent authorities from shutting it down, the operators have transitioned to using Ethereum Name Service domains, which allows the botnet to remain resilient even when traditional web domains are seized.
Global infection data shows that the botnet has a massive footprint in South America and Asia, with Brazil and India accounting for more than a quarter of all infected devices. The United States and Argentina also host significant numbers of compromised units. At its peak, the botnet saw nearly 2 million active nodes in a single day, and researchers estimate its total attack capacity could reach as high as 30 terabits per second, making it a Tier 1 threat to global internet stability.
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The rise of Kimwolf highlights a significant shift in the cyber threat landscape, moving away from traditional targets like routers and toward smart home entertainment devices. Because many TV boxes are shipped with outdated firmware, pre-installed vulnerabilities, or weak default passwords, they provide a stable environment for long-term infection. Unlike smartphones, these devices are rarely updated by users, allowing botnets to persist for months or years without being detected by standard antivirus tools.
Security experts emphasize that the discovery of Kimwolf serves as a critical warning for the technology industry to improve the security standards of IoT and smart TV hardware. The sheer volume of traffic generated by this network shows that even low-power consumer electronics can be weaponized into a formidable digital army when controlled at scale. Collaborative intelligence sharing between global researchers remains the primary defense against the rapid evolution and expansion of these million-level botnet families.
Source: Kimwolf Android Botnet Infects Millions And Launches LargeScale DDoS Attacks