Ixia on How to Protect Your Network Infrastructure from “Reaper” Botnet

Ixia Application and Threat Intelligence measured honeypot activity for exploits used by IoT Reaper. (Graphic: Business Wire)

CALABASAS, Calif.--()--Ixia, a Keysight business and leading provider of network testing, visibility, and security solutions, announced today that the company’s Application Threat Intelligence (ATI) Research Center is tracking a new IoT botnet known as “Reaper.” Last year, an IoT botnet known as “Mirai” created havoc for enterprise cyber business through DDoS attacks utilizing bots made up of IoT devices.

Ixia identified a dramatic increase in Reaper activity during the first week of October. This botnet attempts to compromise IoT devices, raising concern that a new wave of DDoS or other attacks could follow.

What is Reaper?

This new botnet is attacking IoT devices, especially routers, using publicly disclosed vulnerabilities which have not yet been patched on these devices.

Ixia Customers Have Protection

Ixia has applied the Reaper’s IoT router compromises to its ATI service for the company’s BreakingPoint and ThreatARMOR solutions:

  • Ixia’s BreakingPoint customers can utilize this material to validate their deployed security control’s effectiveness at defending against the Reaper botnet’s methods of compromise and Command and Control communication.
  • Ixia’s ThreatARMOR customers will be able to actively block known compromised IoT devices from reaching their network infrastructure using the Threat Intelligence collected.

“Ixia suggests that any IoT device with public Internet facing connectivity be patched with the latest updates and be closely monitored,” stated Steve McGregory, Senior Director of Application Threat Intelligence at Ixia. “Network visibility is the ability to know what is in your network and what it is doing, and it is a key tenet to being prepared to defend and proactively mitigate weaknesses in your network.”

About Ixia’s ATI Research Center

Ixia’s ATI Research Center leverages more than 10 years of experience in researching application performance and security technologies. Using advanced surveillance techniques and methodologies, its researchers identify, capture, and rapidly deliver the application and threat intelligence (ATI) you need to stay a step ahead. Ixia’s products, powered by ATI, improve your security performance, bring application-level visibility and context to your monitoring tools, and validate network devices with real-world threats and application conditions.

About Ixia

Ixia, a Keysight Business (NYSE:KEYS), provides testing, visibility, and security solutions to strengthen networks and cloud environments for enterprises, service providers, and network equipment manufacturers. Ixia offers organizations trusted environments in which to develop, deploy, and operate. Customers worldwide rely on Ixia to verify their designs, optimize their performance, and ensure protection of their networks and cloud environments. Learn more at www.ixiacom.com.

About Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies (NYSE:KEYS) is a leading technology company that helps its engineering, enterprise and service provider customers optimize networks and bring electronic products to market faster and at a lower cost. Keysight's solutions go where the electronic signal goes, from design simulation, to prototype validation, to manufacturing test, to optimization in networks and cloud environments. Customers span the worldwide communications ecosystem, aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor and general electronics end markets. Keysight generated revenues of $2.9B in fiscal year 2016. In April 2017, Keysight acquired Ixia, a leader in network test, visibility, and security. More information is available at www.keysight.com.

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Contacts

Ixia Media Contact:
Denise Idone, Director of Corporate Communications
Office: (631) 849-3500
Mobile: (516) 659-7049
Email: didone@ixiacom.com

Release Summary

Ixia on How to Protect Your Network Infrastructure from “Reaper” Botnet

Contacts

Ixia Media Contact:
Denise Idone, Director of Corporate Communications
Office: (631) 849-3500
Mobile: (516) 659-7049
Email: didone@ixiacom.com