A newly identified IoT botnet framework, TuxBot v3 Evolution, is targeting internet-connected devices and turning compromised systems into tools for distributed denial-of-service attacks.

The malware can run across a wide range of device architectures, creating a broad risk for routers, cameras, and other exposed Linux-based equipment.

TuxBot uses several paths to gain access, including Telnet password guessing, SSH scanning, HTTP-based probing, Android Debug Bridge scanning, and attempts to exploit vulnerable devices.

Its Telnet module alone carries 1,496 username and password combinations, many of them default or vendor-specific credentials that remain common on poorly secured devices.

Analysts at Unit 42 said in a report shared with Cyber Security News (CSN) that they identified the malware as a previously undocumented, modular botnet framework with an encrypted command channel, a custom exploit system, and infrastructure intended to support DDoS-for-hire operations.

The discovery is notable because the developers appear to have used a large language model to build substantial parts of the framework.

The recovered source code includes unremoved AI safety comments and internal-style reasoning, showing that generated code was incorporated with limited manual review.

New TuxBot v3 IoT Botnet Uses LLM-Generated Code

The framework combines a C-based bot client with a Go-based command-and-control server that can build payloads for at least 17 processor architectures.

This allows operators to prepare malware for devices running ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, RISC-V, x86-64, and other platforms from a single development environment.

Once installed, the bot attempts to remain on a device through a disguised system service, cron jobs, shell-profile changes, hidden backup copies, watchdog activity, and repeated relocation of its binary.

It can also disguise its process name and search for rival malware, removing competing botnet infections from the same device.

The authors borrowed code and design elements from several known botnet families and the open-source MHDDoS toolkit.

That reuse follows a familiar pattern in the IoT threat landscape, where Mirai-derived DDoS botnets continue to give attackers a quick foundation for building new attack tools. However, the use of AI-generated code also left serious flaws in the recovered version.

Researchers found an encryption-key mismatch that broke multiple functions, a custom exploit virtual machine that could not load its own packages, and an authentication component labelled as Argon2id that did not actually implement Argon2id password hashing.

TuxBot interactive setup wizard screens (Source - Unit42) — TuxBot interactive setup wizard screens (Source – Unit42)

These defects do not remove the danger. TuxBot’s core functions, including credential attacks, encrypted primary communications, persistence, scanning, and UDP, TCP, and DNS flooding, were operational in the analyzed samples.

Researchers also warned that the operator could correct the defects quickly because the complete source code is already available to them.

DDoS Infrastructure and Defense

TuxBot connects to its main server using encrypted TCP communications and can fall back on domain-generation and peer-to-peer mechanisms if the primary server becomes unavailable.

The operator’s server included an SSH-accessible panel where users could view connected bots and issue attack commands, pointing to a service designed for managed DDoS activity.

TuxBot C2 botmaster panel command reference (Source - Unit42) — TuxBot C2 botmaster panel command reference (Source – Unit42)

The malware’s developers tested attack performance through a Docker-based environment and generated 254 automated benchmark reports before samples began appearing publicly.

While the framework advertises dozens of attack options, many web-focused methods in the analyzed build were incorrectly routed to simpler TCP SYN floods, leaving some advertised capabilities inactive.

Still, defenders should treat the active features as a practical threat. Organizations should remove default passwords, restrict Telnet and remote administration access, apply firmware updates, and segment IoT devices from critical systems.

Monitoring repeated authentication attempts and unusual outbound traffic can also expose devices being recruited into a botnet, as seen in other IoT botnet attacks.

C2 protocols and the client - server relationships (Source - Unit42) — C2 protocols and the client – server relationships (Source – Unit42)

The researchers linked TuxBot infrastructure to broader Keksec, Kaitori, and AISURU-related activity through shared hosting and certificate artifacts. The connection does not mean the tool is identical to those families, but it shows how operators can reuse infrastructure while maintaining separate malware codebases and campaigns.

TuxBot also illustrates a wider shift in criminal development practices. AI assistance can speed up code writing and porting across platforms, even when the output is unreliable, echoing concerns raised by earlier reporting on LLM-enabled malware.

Indicators of Compromise (IoCs):-

Type	Indicator	Description
IPv4 address	209.182.237.133	TuxBot command-and-control server
IPv4 address	185.10.68.127	TuxBot payload dropper
IPv4 address	154.6.197.43	Scan-server address in bot source code
IPv4 address	45.145.185.229	Keksec dropper, not directly attributed to TuxBot
IPv4 address	107.174.133.119	Keksec dropper, Huawei exploit payload
IPv4 address	194.46.59.169	AISURU-related infrastructure
IPv4 address	188.166.2.226	Tsunami dropper in inactive RCE code
IPv4 address	37.32.24.195	IP address resolving for digikalas.online
Domain	binsbot.arch	TuxBot payload hosting domain/path
Domain	c2.tuxbot.local	Hard-coded DNS fallback C2 domain
Domain	digikalas.online	Developer-associated domain
Domain	newtuxdev.sevielw.digikalas.online	Developer hostname leaked in Git data
Domain	jetross.com	TLS certificate artifact linking C2 and dropper
Domain	cfcybernews.eu	Test domain leaked by CF bypass module
Domain	captcha.kanfetka.site	Test domain leaked by CAPTCHA bypass module
Domain	vrunabo.su	Historical domain associated with dropper infrastructure
Domain	rezy1337.ted.ge	Historical domain associated with dropper infrastructure
Domain	high.cpu.co.ua	Historical domain associated with dropper infrastructure
Filename	tuxbot.alpha	TuxBot compiled binary for Alpha architecture
Filename	tuxbot.arm	TuxBot compiled binary for ARM
Filename	tuxbot.arm64	TuxBot compiled binary for ARM64
Filename	tuxbot.arm7	TuxBot compiled binary for ARM7
Filename	tuxbot.hppa	TuxBot compiled binary for PA-RISC
Filename	tuxbot.m68k	TuxBot compiled binary for Motorola m68k
Filename	tuxbot.mips	TuxBot compiled binary for MIPS
Filename	tuxbot.mips64	TuxBot compiled binary for MIPS64
Filename	tuxbot.mips64el	TuxBot compiled binary for MIPS64 little-endian
Filename	tuxbot.mipsel	TuxBot compiled binary for MIPS little-endian
Filename	tuxbot.ppc	TuxBot compiled binary for PowerPC
Filename	tuxbot.ppc64le	TuxBot compiled binary for PowerPC 64 little-endian
Filename	tuxbot.riscv64	TuxBot compiled binary for RISC-V
Filename	tuxbot.s390x	TuxBot compiled binary for IBM S390x
Filename	tuxbot.sh4	TuxBot compiled binary for Renesas SH
Filename	tuxbot.sparc64	TuxBot compiled binary for SPARC64
Filename	tuxbot.x8664	TuxBot compiled binary for x86-64
Filename	.botx8664	Debug TuxBot x86-64 build
SHA-256	6b7a8e0c96c2318e747f074f9a99d26738700769ac01bba692d19fc884847737	tuxbot.alpha
SHA-256	146f6010f6ee082aab13e0148d39baefa77eaba4ff65817b511b08c2092bdfd2	tuxbot.arm
SHA-256	bd6431fb06e4689142ef597cf00382e38ae20a5393a4d9277e45a3f5b3cbcff9	tuxbot.arm64
SHA-256	a03b0d41f5ef03328150331ffa0ed970998883f7e0343d79b2d3b95330d8e7c1	tuxbot.arm7
SHA-256	eb2fa179fde2f097c18d5d700ad87d660fc238ee14cbe5477032e60856859621	tuxbot.hppa
SHA-256	a8d70d16509e227d8306be361bc37a3dc9fe34bf476f51e361e55e6d293c2b3f	tuxbot.m68k
SHA-256	0f8bcca3ed65e980da2a1f90a767b7d543be32eeea3e9338d09d4d635a497988	tuxbot.mips
SHA-256	96b1f96efca3b9df2dea85678d60da27e3265b4a00e39e20e64b27bb985e1561	tuxbot.mips64
SHA-256	c7a36d6b8128c41f93a32413675401a10a2b5769b221bbaa8c5c309585b73ceb	tuxbot.mips64el
SHA-256	246c97957651de568e61eba1abe572f0b0f960456209995d43d53a0d7cc494a1	tuxbot.mipsel
SHA-256	3ec016d637e4c9cd331edd2580a229621ad638e924a4aa29ac0342e9144ace19	tuxbot.ppc
SHA-256	2f2c3551762c03da126e45dca6fc2f997c63f0f1bfc21fd0ceed680ac6f083ce	tuxbot.ppc64le
SHA-256	9cd5e7e3c8bad321ef6c3d47fe25b3b56e9487f703a7eeee52db4067e6bafe61	tuxbot.riscv64
SHA-256	e3a5296e762e9ee16010399666441d663beeea956382e97cca032a6a5ad06811	tuxbot.s390x
SHA-256	f1efb78887bb8783d7781c07cd13b53c9c79ebe5baa81f335838d0a6e73dec7e	tuxbot.sh4
SHA-256	f324a45fcd2a9db4e542c09486c21b08bc42d6bf76fbd5f17871090361b10815	tuxbot.sparc64
SHA-256	15c17dce89deccd5172285b2650de957918aa1157cde8e4633ae15dfe31f2711	tuxbot.x8664
SHA-256	71dfbb171eca4ef9d02ff630b56e5283bbef7b375d4dbe9e8c9531bef312fa8d	.botx8664 debug build
SHA-256	511d3ffb4091cbcc94571d9fb3102e8cb424c6e187d01d53ff12078d54929bda	Confirmed external TuxBot sample
SHA-256	6aa4034dc7a2858094ff4dc59af07d6fe31119591e41599bcc0f3d0b516ee734	Confirmed internal TuxBot sample
Host artifact	Infected By Akiru	Console output after successful execution
Host artifact	sd-pam.service	Disguised systemd persistence service
Host artifact	tmp.08x.lock	Lock-file format for single-instance control
User-Agent	TuxBot	HTTP requests generated by bot
User-Agent	r00ts3c-owned-you	Inactive RCE payload inherited from MHDDoS
SSH banner	SSH-2.0-CNC-Control-Server	C2 SSH service fingerprint
Network port	209.182.237.133:1999	Encrypted bot protocol
Network port	209.182.237.133:31337	Alternate encrypted bot protocol
Network port	209.182.237.133:2222	C2 SSH administration panel
Network port	209.182.237.133:9999	JSON machine API

Note: IP addresses and domains are intentionally defanged (e.g., [.]) to prevent accidental resolution or hyperlinking. Re-fang only within controlled threat intelligence platforms such as MISP, VirusTotal, or your SIEM.

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