Linux malware is a malware attack targeting Linux based systems, an open source and community-developed operating system. Malware lures its victims into installing malicious programs. Linux malware increased by 35% in 2021, according to CrowdStrike.

 

“XorDDoS, Mirai and Mozi are the most prevalent Linux-based malware families observed in 2021, with Mozi registering a significant tenfold increase in the number of in-the-wild samples in 2021 compared to 2020. The primary purpose of these malware families is to compromise vulnerable internet-connected devices, amass them into botnets, and use them to perform distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.” (CrowdStrike).
With the rise of Internet of Things, which mainly operates on a Linux-based platform, it is not surprising that this trend is expected to continue.

 

“With billions of internet-connected devices like cars, fridges and network devices online, IoT devices have become a prime target for certain malware activity – namely distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, where junk traffic aims to flood a target and knock them offline.” (ZDNet).

 

The increase in use of IoT devices is not likely to slow down anytime soon, so how do we defend against these malware attacks? According to ZDNet, a lack of prevention could be a cause of the increase in malware attacks.

 

“Many of the cyberattacks targeting Linux environments are still relatively unsophisticated when compared with equivalent attacks targeting Windows systems – that means that with the correct approach to monitoring and securing Linux-based systems, many of these attacks can be prevented.” (ZDNet).

 

The responsibility to prevent these attacks lies in the hands of business leaders to implement cyber-security training measures.

 

“That includes cybersecurity hygiene procedures such as ensuring default passwords aren't in use and avoiding sharing one account across multiple users. ‘Focus on the basics. The fact is that most adversaries are not super advanced,’ said Brian Baskin, manager of threat research at VMware. ‘They're not looking for unique exploits, they're looking for the general open vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Focus on those before you start focusing on zero-day attacks and new vulnerabilities – make sure you've got the basics covered first,’ he added.” (ZDNet).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources: 
ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/linux-malware-is-on-the-rise-here-are-three-top-threats-right-now/ 

Bleeping Computer. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/linux-malware-sees-35-percent-growth-during-2021/ 

CrowdStrike. https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/linux-targeted-malware-increased-by-35-percent-in-2021/