What is Mirai Botnet Malware?

Mirai Botnet Malware

malware OpenTrojan Threat Intelligence Updated 2026-08-26

IoT devices (routers, cameras, DVRs); massive DDoS

Source Attribution

Origin: MITRE
Source: FBI · MITRE ATT&CK
Reviewer: Phase 44E review
Verified: 2026-08-26T15:16:26.825Z
Confidence: high

Source: FBI · MITRE ATT&CK · Verified: 2026-08-26T15:16:26.825Z · Confidence: high

Security Timeline

2016-08 discovered Mirai source code leaked
2016-10-21 exploited Dyn DDoS attack (~1.2 Tbps)

Quick Answer

Mirai scans the internet for IoT devices with default credentials, loads it as a bot, and serves commands from a central C2 for attack traffic.

Definition

Mirai turns insecure IoT devices into a botnet used for record-scale DDoS attacks (2016 Dyn attack) using default credentials.

Overview

Mirai turns insecure IoT devices into a botnet used for record-scale DDoS attacks (2016 Dyn attack) using default credentials.

Behavior

Default-credential IoT takeover
Dyn and Krebs DDoS attacks
Source code publicly leaked 2016

First Seen

2016-08

Target

IoT devices (routers, cameras, DVRs); massive DDoS

Techniques: T1078, T1482, T1059
Campaigns: n/a
Related CVEs: n/a

Malware Intelligence

Family: Mirai Botnet Malware

Aliases: Mirai

Techniques: T1078, T1482, T1059

Targets: IoT devices (routers, cameras, DVRs); massive DDoS

Behavior:

Default-credential IoT takeover
Dyn and Krebs DDoS attacks
Source code publicly leaked 2016

References

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