Chuck Norris Botnet Affects Linux Routers
Researchers at the University of Masaryk in Brno, Czech Republic, have detected a botnet that can hit Linux routers and DSL modems.
According to an article in the Prague Daily Monitor, researchers detected the trojan while working on securing the Czech national defense ministry, known as CYBER, against Internet attacks.
Head of the security project Jan Vykopal identified the suspect as a self-perpetuating trojan that first and foremost attacks Linux routers and DSL modems with weak usernames and passwords. The botnet was first detected in a D-Link device, Vykopal revealed in a PCWorld article. Next to MIPS-based Linux devices, the Chuck Norris botnet can also affect satellite TV receivers.
The botnet found its first martial arts moves from a server out of Italy, getting its name from a bit of source code with the line "in nome di Chuck Norris." It was immediately removed from the Net after its discovery and reporting. Since then, however, a number of copies have been identified worldwide. Infected devices are notably in Europe, South America and China, with the exact number not known.
The botnet's main objective is to gather passwords and access to Internet banking, online shops and related sites
Just Say No. The Chuck Norris botnet lives in the router's RAM, so a simple restart will remove it. The easiest way to avoid any further attacks through the Web interface is by using a strong password on the router or modem.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.