12-17-2017, 08:19 AM
Minecraft was the reason the Mirai botnet was created
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgamedev.win/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/minecraft-was-the-reason-the-mirai-botnet-was-created.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><blockquote>
<p><strong><em> “These kids are super smart, but they didn’t do anything high level—they just had a good idea. It’s the most successful IoT botnet we’ve ever seen—and a sign that computer crime isn’t just about desktops anymore.”</em></strong></p>
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<p>– FBI supervisory special agent Bill Walton on the creators of the Mirai botnet.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">Wired recently published a piece</a> interviewing several people who were involved in analyzing and investigating the biggest cyber security breach of 2016, caused by three college-aged individuals who were looking to gain an advantage in <em>Minecraft</em> by <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/289509/Report_Internetbreaking_DDoS_worm_traced_to_chief_of_Minecraftfocused_DDoS_guard_firm.php">creating the Mirai botnet malware</a>.</p>
<p>FBI supervisory special agent Bill Walton describes how the trio didn’t intend to create this sort of chaos. “Mirai was originally developed to help them corner the <em>Minecraft</em> market, but then they realized what a powerful tool they built,” he explains. “Then it just became a challenge for them to make it as large as possible.”</p>
<p>The creators of Mirai targeted French Internet provider OVH because it offered <em>Minecraft</em> DDoS mitigation tools and certain servers. “Why are these <em>Minecraft</em> servers getting hit so often?” FBI special agent Elliott Peterson remembers asking. </p>
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<p>“The digital arms race in DDoS is inexorably linked to <em>Minecraft,</em>” <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">says FBI special agent Doug Klein.</a> “You look at the servers—those guys are making huge money, so it’s in my benefit to knock your server offline and steal your customers. The vast majority of these <em>Minecraft</em> servers are being run by kids—you don’t necessarily have the astute business judgment in the quote-unquote ‘executives’ running these servers.”</p>
<p>The piece also dives into how investigators tracked down the main culprit behind Mirai, as well as highlighting other servers and companies the malware infected during its reign. </p>
<p>Check out the full piece <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">available at Wired.</a></p>
</section>
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<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgamedev.win/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/minecraft-was-the-reason-the-mirai-botnet-was-created.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><blockquote>
<p><strong><em> “These kids are super smart, but they didn’t do anything high level—they just had a good idea. It’s the most successful IoT botnet we’ve ever seen—and a sign that computer crime isn’t just about desktops anymore.”</em></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>– FBI supervisory special agent Bill Walton on the creators of the Mirai botnet.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">Wired recently published a piece</a> interviewing several people who were involved in analyzing and investigating the biggest cyber security breach of 2016, caused by three college-aged individuals who were looking to gain an advantage in <em>Minecraft</em> by <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/289509/Report_Internetbreaking_DDoS_worm_traced_to_chief_of_Minecraftfocused_DDoS_guard_firm.php">creating the Mirai botnet malware</a>.</p>
<p>FBI supervisory special agent Bill Walton describes how the trio didn’t intend to create this sort of chaos. “Mirai was originally developed to help them corner the <em>Minecraft</em> market, but then they realized what a powerful tool they built,” he explains. “Then it just became a challenge for them to make it as large as possible.”</p>
<p>The creators of Mirai targeted French Internet provider OVH because it offered <em>Minecraft</em> DDoS mitigation tools and certain servers. “Why are these <em>Minecraft</em> servers getting hit so often?” FBI special agent Elliott Peterson remembers asking. </p>
<section>
<p>“The digital arms race in DDoS is inexorably linked to <em>Minecraft,</em>” <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">says FBI special agent Doug Klein.</a> “You look at the servers—those guys are making huge money, so it’s in my benefit to knock your server offline and steal your customers. The vast majority of these <em>Minecraft</em> servers are being run by kids—you don’t necessarily have the astute business judgment in the quote-unquote ‘executives’ running these servers.”</p>
<p>The piece also dives into how investigators tracked down the main culprit behind Mirai, as well as highlighting other servers and companies the malware infected during its reign. </p>
<p>Check out the full piece <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-minecraft-scam-brought-down-the-internet/">available at Wired.</a></p>
</section>
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