Cybersecurity researchers have issued a serious warning about a new and dangerous botnet known as RondoDox. This botnet has been found exploiting more than 50 security flaws in devices made by over 30 different vendors, putting millions of systems at risk across the world.
RondoDox stands out because of the way it attacks. Instead of relying on a single vulnerability, it uses an “exploit shotgun” approach firing a wide range of known exploits at a target device until one works. This technique gives the attackers a high success rate, especially when devices are unpatched or outdated.
The botnet mainly targets devices that are frequently connected to the internet. These include routers, CCTV cameras, DVRs, NVRs, and web servers. Many of these devices are used in homes and small businesses, and they often go for years without receiving firmware updates, making them easy entry points for attackers.
The campaign was first noticed when researchers discovered RondoDox using a known flaw in TP-Link Archer routers. The same flaw had been revealed earlier at a hacking contest called Pwn2Own. After successfully exploiting that vulnerability, the attackers expanded their toolkit to include dozens of other exploits affecting different brands and device types.
Currently, RondoDox is known to exploit 56 vulnerabilities in total. Out of these, 38 vulnerabilities have official CVE identifiers, while 18 remain unassigned. Around 50 of these flaws are command injection bugs, which allow attackers to send harmful commands directly to a device. The rest include buffer overflow, path traversal, authentication bypass, and memory corruption issues.
Devices from well-known brands like D-Link, TP-Link, Netgear, Linksys, Cisco, QNAP, Tenda, and Zyxel are among the most commonly targeted. Since these products are used by millions of people around the world, the potential scale of infection is huge. Even small offices and home users who think their networks are safe could unknowingly be affected.
Researchers have also observed that RondoDox is evolving rapidly. It is now operating under what experts call a loader-as-a-service model, where it can deliver different types of malware such as Mirai or Morte depending on the attacker’s needs. This flexibility makes the botnet harder to detect and take down.
Once a device is infected, attackers can use it for various malicious purposes. Most commonly, it is used to perform DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, flood websites with traffic, or act as a hidden proxy server for other cybercriminals. Some infected devices even disguise their activity by mimicking the network traffic of popular games or apps, helping them blend in and avoid detection.
One of the biggest challenges with RondoDox is that it exploits older and unsupported hardware. Many users don’t realize their devices are vulnerable because manufacturers have stopped releasing updates for them. As a result, these devices remain online and exposed, providing attackers with an endless supply of easy targets.
Cybersecurity experts recommend a few simple but effective steps to protect against this botnet. First, always install the latest firmware updates for routers, cameras, and other connected devices. If a device is too old to receive updates, replace it with a newer model that still gets security patches. Second, turn off remote management features unless absolutely necessary, and close any unused internet-facing ports. Finally, use network segmentation separate IoT devices from important systems so that an attack on one won’t affect everything else.
The discovery of RondoDox highlights how attackers are now automating large-scale cyberattacks using a mix of old and new vulnerabilities. This botnet doesn’t focus on one target it casts a wide net, taking advantage of any weak spot it finds. The best defense for individuals and businesses is to stay vigilant, patch devices regularly, and reduce their exposure to the open internet.
RondoDox serves as another reminder that cybersecurity is not a one-time effort. Keeping devices updated and secured is no longer optional it’s essential to stay protected in a world where even everyday gadgets can become part of a global attack network.
Stay alert, and keep your security measures updated!
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