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RondoDox has evolved from a Linux botnet targeting internet-exposed DVRs and routers into a broad exploitation and payload-delivery operation. FortiGuard Labs initially documented attacks exploiting CVE-2024-3721 in TBK DVRs and CVE-2024-12856 in Four-Faith routers. Subsequent reporting describes exploitation of more than 50 vulnerabilities across over 30 vendors, with RondoDox v2 using more than 75 distinct exploit payloads and incorporating XWiki CVE-2025-24893 and React2Shell CVE-2025-55182. Its lightweight shell loader detects CPU architecture and retrieves matching ELF malware, expanding beyond ARM and MIPS to architectures including x86-64 and AArch64.
The malware provides command-and-control access and HTTP, UDP, and TCP DDoS capabilities, disguising attack traffic as gaming, VPN, and other service protocols. Reported capabilities include persistence through startup mechanisms and scheduled tasks, obfuscated configuration, termination of analysis tools and competing malware, and renaming system utilities to hinder recovery. The delivery ecosystem uses rotating hosting infrastructure, making static indicators alone insufficient; ASN membership does not establish RondoDox attribution. Defenders should prioritize patching exposed appliances and applications, monitor architecture-aware downloads and unexpected persistence changes, and combine behavioral detection with current indicators of compromise.
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9 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
CloudSEK described RondoDox moving through reconnaissance and testing, automated exploitation, and broad IoT botnet deployment across 2025.
FortiGuard Labs first identified a RondoDox ELF binary. The botnet initially targeted Linux systems on ARM and MIPS architectures.
Logpoint's static analysis described a modular Linux backdoor with C2 task dispatch, persistence, masquerading, and string obfuscation. Its infrastructure mapping identified multiple hosting lanes and rotating delivery endpoints, while cautioning that ASN membership alone does not establish RondoDox attribution.
Reporting linked RondoDox activity in December to exploitation of React2Shell, CVE-2025-55182, against Next.js servers. CloudSEK described a multistage infection chain containing a loader and a health-checker.
Reporting linked RondoDox activity in November to exploitation of XWiki vulnerability CVE-2025-24893. The supplied content does not explicitly specify the year of this event.
Later reporting described RondoDox v2 firing more than 75 distinct exploit payloads in rapid succession, escalating the botnet's volume-first exploitation strategy.
Trend Micro and the Zero Day Initiative observed RondoDox exploiting more than 50 vulnerabilities across over 30 vendors, expanding its attack surface beyond its initial DVR and router targets.
FortiGuard reported a shell downloader extending RondoDox beyond ARM and MIPS to architectures including x86-64 and AArch64. Analysis also revealed multilayer persistence, termination of security tools and competing malware, disruption of system utilities, and DDoS traffic impersonating games and VPN services.
FortiGuard Labs observed a significant increase in scanning tied to a RondoDox campaign exploiting CVE-2024-3721 in TBK DVRs and CVE-2024-12856 in Four-Faith routers. Both vulnerabilities enable OS command execution on affected devices.
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**RondoDox** has expanded into a large-scale botnet campaign that targets **174 vulnerabilities** across a wide range of internet-exposed devices, with researchers observing up to **15,000 daily exploitation attempts**. Reporting based on **Bitsight** telemetry says the botnet, active since 2025 and built on a **Mirai** code base, is more focused than typical Mirai-derived operations: it is geared toward **denial-of-service activity** and supports **18 architectures**, enabling attacks against routers, DVRs, NVRs, CCTV systems, web servers, and other embedded or Linux-based hardware. Analysts mapped **148 exploits to CVEs**, identified **15 public PoCs without CVEs**, and found **11 exploits with no public PoC**, indicating active exploit collection and rapid weaponization of newly disclosed flaws. The campaign has evolved from earlier exploitation of **TP-Link Archer AX21** flaw `CVE-2023-1389` and later abuse of `CVE-2024-3721`, `CVE-2024-12856`, and the **React2Shell** issue `CVE-2025-55182` affecting **Next.js** servers. Researchers also reported that the operators use **residential IP infrastructure** and traffic patterns that mimic gaming or VPN services to reduce detection, while showing the ability to deploy some exploits within days of disclosure and, in at least one case, exploit `CVE-2025-62593` before its CVE record was formally published. This activity reflects a sustained, strategically managed botnet operation rather than opportunistic scanning, with broad exploit coverage and infrastructure choices designed to improve reach and resilience.
Jun 29, 2026
The RondoDox botnet has emerged as a significant threat, actively targeting a wide array of internet-exposed infrastructure by exploiting over 50 known vulnerabilities, many of which were first disclosed during Pwn2Own hacking competitions. Security researchers from Trend Micro and FortiGuard Labs have observed the botnet leveraging an 'exploit shotgun' approach, simultaneously deploying numerous exploits to maximize infection rates across diverse device types. The campaign has been active globally since at least June 2025, with attacks focusing on routers, digital video recorders (DVRs), network video recorders (NVRs), CCTV systems, web servers, and other network devices from more than 30 vendors. Notably, the botnet exploits both recent and older vulnerabilities, including CVE-2023-1389 in the TP-Link Archer AX21 Wi-Fi router, which was originally demonstrated at Pwn2Own Toronto 2022 and previously targeted by Mirai. The list of exploited vulnerabilities includes CVE-2024-3721, CVE-2024-12856, and many others affecting brands such as Digiever, QNAP, LB-LINK, TRENDnet, D-Link, TBK, Four-Faith, Netgear, AVTECH, TOTOLINK, Tenda, Meteobridge, Edimax, and Linksys. Many of these vulnerabilities are now included in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, underscoring the urgency for organizations to patch affected systems. Devices that have reached end-of-life are particularly at risk, as they are less likely to receive security updates, making them attractive targets for the botnet operators. The campaign exposes organizations to risks including data exfiltration, persistent network compromise, and operational disruption, especially for those with internet-facing infrastructure. Security experts recommend prioritizing the patching of all listed vulnerabilities, conducting regular vulnerability assessments, segmenting networks to limit lateral movement, and continuously monitoring for anomalous device activity. Trend Micro has indicated that its solutions provide protection against the vulnerabilities exploited by RondoDox, offering mitigation while patching is underway. The rapid weaponization of vulnerabilities demonstrated at Pwn2Own highlights the need for organizations to monitor disclosures from such competitions and act swiftly to secure their environments. The RondoDox botnet’s ability to quickly expand its arsenal of exploits demonstrates a high level of adaptability and threat actor sophistication. The campaign’s global reach and the diversity of targeted devices suggest that organizations across multiple sectors are at risk. The use of mass n-day exploitation, rather than relying solely on zero-day vulnerabilities, allows the botnet to compromise a large number of devices that may not be promptly patched. Security researchers emphasize the importance of defense-in-depth strategies to mitigate the impact of such widespread exploitation campaigns. The ongoing activity of RondoDox serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by botnets leveraging known vulnerabilities in widely deployed network devices.
Jun 29, 2026
Researchers reported that the **RondoDox** botnet is actively exploiting `CVE-2018-5999`, a critical remote code execution flaw in Asus routers that lets unauthenticated attackers gain **root access**. VulnCheck said it observed in-the-wild exploitation beginning on May 17, marking the first known real-world abuse of the 2018 vulnerability even though public exploit code has been available for years. The flaw affects widely deployed consumer routers, with more than 1 million Asus devices believed to be exposed online. RondoDox, a Linux-focused botnet first seen in mid-2025 and often described as a **Mirai** variant, uses multi-stage mass exploitation against end-of-life and IoT devices, frequently chaining older embedded-device CVEs before deploying malware and connecting to command-and-control infrastructure. Researchers said the botnet is primarily used for denial-of-service attacks and appears to rely on compromised residential IP addresses for hosting, suggesting its operators closely track vulnerability disclosures and rapidly weaponize older flaws in consumer networking gear.
Jun 29, 2026