Maharashtra Government issues advisory on massive 'Reaper' botnet

The Maharashtra Government on Friday issued a security advisory regarding a massive botnet named 'Reaper' that has been spreading like fire and holds the capacity to put the internet in the dark.

"It is imperative for everyone to be aware of this wide-spreading botnet, which is the primary reason why this advisory has been issued," a notification issued by the government said.

The advisory notice has also suggested various preventive measures such as:

#Updating the security updates and choosing strong passwords for personal devices

#Safeguard network using various methods

#Deleting malware by a factory reset in case of suspected abnormal activity

#Using secure protocols (VPN and SSH) by organisations to prevent brute force attacks, among others

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According to the researchers from the Israeli-based firm Check Point, over a million internet-connected and the number is growing.

A botnet uses collections of devices like wifi routers or smart webcams which have been hacked to collaboratively send surges of data to servers leading them to crash, disrupt services and ultimately go offline.

In October 2016, similar botnet named 'Mirai' wiped out the internet across the US, targeting mostly the East Coast and now researchers have launched the latest warning suggesting that 'Reaper' is expanding at a far greater pace and can cause more potential damage.