My Mantis Botnet Analytics - For Research Purposes
By: Scav-engeR
This repository contains comprehensive research and analysis on the Mantis botnet, one of the most advanced DDoS threats in the current cybersecurity landscape. Unlike traditional IoT-based botnets that rely on massive numbers of compromised devices, Mantis represents a new generation of VM-based botnets that leverage fewer but much more powerful computing resources for devastating attacks.
- Unprecedented Efficiency: Mantis generates 26 million HTTPS requests per second using only ~5,000 VMs (5,200 RPS per bot)
- Architectural Innovation: Uses compromised virtual machines and servers instead of IoT devices
- Advanced Attack Vectors: Specializes in HTTPS DDoS attacks requiring complete TLS handshakes
- Strategic Targeting: Primarily focused on Internet & Telecom (36%), News & Media (15%), and Gaming (12%) industries
- analysis/: Interactive visualizations and deep-dive analysis of Mantis architecture
- comparison/: Technical comparison between Mantis and traditional IoT botnets
- diagrams/: Visual representations of Mantis attack flows and infection methods
- mitigations/: Defensive strategies and countermeasures against VM-based botnets
Mantis differs significantly from traditional botnets in its infection approach:
- Target Selection: Strategic focus on high-bandwidth servers and VMs with minimal security
- Compromise Techniques:
- Exploits VM vulnerabilities in hypervisors and cloud management interfaces
- Uses credential compromise against cloud consoles and SSH/RDP
- Leverages supply chain attacks against VM templates and images
- Post-Compromise: Sophisticated persistence mechanisms survive reboots and security scans
The Mantis botnet employs several sophisticated attack methodologies:
- HTTPS Floods: Complete TLS handshakes consuming significant server resources
- TCP Reflection/Amplification: Leverages middleboxes for traffic amplification
- Application Layer Attacks: Targets resource-intensive functions of web applications
- Dynamic Rate Limiting Evasion: Modulates traffic patterns to avoid detection
- Records show attacks against nearly 1,000 targets in a 30-day period
- Geographical targeting shows concentration on US (20%) and Russian (15%) organizations
- Attack durations are typically short (30-80 seconds) but extremely intensive
- Mantis has consistently demonstrated the ability to overwhelm sophisticated DDoS protections
Defending against Mantis-like botnets requires:
- Advanced application-layer inspection capabilities
- TLS traffic analysis and behavioral monitoring
- Cloud infrastructure security hardening
- VM template security and strong access controls
- Machine learning-based anomaly detection
This research incorporates data from multiple cybersecurity organizations tracking the Mantis botnet, combined with original analysis of attack patterns and infrastructure.
This research is provided for educational and defensive purposes only. The information contained in this repository should be used responsibly to improve security posture against sophisticated DDoS threats.
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