Necurs is a botnet that uses specialized rootkits to infect devices and take control of computer systems, all while hiding the infection. Necurs’ main feature is the ability to stay hidden and keep things moving so the owner of the infected device is unable to take the required action in time. This key feature has allowed Necurs to become the biggest botnet active in cyberspace today.
The main way Necurs creates a botnet is with zombie computers. These are already-compromised devices that can serve the botnet to carry out malicious activities. Once Necurs infects a device via the Necurs rootkit, the device becomes part of the botnet. At that point, hackers are free to use the compromised device as desired.
Necurs botnet has caused sizable damage as hackers have used the rootkit to launch DDoS attacks, phishing campaigns and spam. In total, Necurs has infected over 6 million devices so far and has caused millions of dollars in damage to companies and individuals.