{
  "family": "cybernetic",
  "sample_count": 11,
  "category": "botnet",
  "description": "CyberNetic is a botnet agent and Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that communicates primarily via Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks to receive instructions from its command and control (C2) servers. Emerging during the peak popularity of IRC-based botnets, CyberNetic allows attackers to herd thousands of infected machines into coordinated networks capable of launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, distributing spam, and harvesting sensitive data. Upon infection, the malware drops itself into systemic directories, ensures persistence through registry Run keys, and quietly joins a hardcoded IRC channel. The botmaster can issue commands to individual nodes or the entire botnet simultaneously. Beyond DDoS capabilities (like SYN floods and UDP floods), CyberNetic features modular components capable of downloading secondary payloads, updating itself, and acting as a proxy to mask the attackers true origin. Its reliance on plaintext IRC makes network-level detection feasible, though later variants attempted to obfuscate communications.",
  "cta": "Published by the SystemHelpdesk Threat Intelligence Team.",
  "aliases": [
    "IRC.CyberNetic",
    "CyberNetic Bot"
  ],
  "enrichment_level": "curated_sourced",
  "faq": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is CyberNetic?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It is an IRC-based botnet malware used to control networks of compromised computers."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does the attacker control the botnet?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "By logging into a specific Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel and issuing text-based commands."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is the main use of the CyberNetic botnet?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It is primarily used for launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and spam campaigns."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How does it maintain persistence?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It alters the Windows Registry to execute its binary every time the system boots up."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How can it be detected?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Network administrators can detect it by monitoring unusual IRC traffic (port 6667) originating from workstations."
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq_count": 5,
  "mitre_attack": [
    "T1090",
    "T1498.001",
    "T1071.001"
  ],
  "mitre_attack_detail": [
    {
      "id": "T1090",
      "name": "Proxy",
      "tactic": "Command and Control"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1498.001",
      "name": "Network Denial of Service: Direct Network Flood",
      "tactic": "Impact"
    },
    {
      "id": "T1071.001",
      "name": "Web Protocols",
      "tactic": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "containment_steps": [
    "Isolate affected endpoints from the network immediately to sever unauthorized command and control communication.",
    "Identify and terminate active Cybernetic binaries and associated parent-child process chains.",
    "Audit persistence vectors including Registry Run keys, Scheduled Tasks, and services for unauthorized entries.",
    "Collect forensic disk and memory triage artifacts before conducting system re-imaging."
  ],
  "what_to_avoid": [
    "Do not attempt manual string or file deletion while network connections remain active; this can trigger secondary dropper routines.",
    "Avoid restoring from backups without verifying that the backup snapshot predates initial Cybernetic installation."
  ],
  "cisa_advisory": null,
  "last_updated": "2026-08-01",
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Trend Micro Threat Encyclopedia - IRC_CYBERNETIC.A Analysis",
      "url": "https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/threat-encyclopedia/malware/IRC_CYBERNETIC.A"
    },
    {
      "name": "NIST National Vulnerability Database - CVE-2003-0352",
      "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2003-0352"
    }
  ],
  "ecosystem": [
    "windows_pe"
  ],
  "attack_stage": [
    "command_and_control",
    "impact"
  ],
  "is_emerging": false,
  "verification_status": "analyst_verified",
  "severity_rating": "medium",
  "first_seen": 2003,
  "motivation": "Disruption",
  "threat_actors": [
    "Unknown / Cybercriminal"
  ],
  "target_geographies": [
    "Global"
  ],
  "target_industries": [
    "Global / Opportunistic",
    "Telecommunications"
  ],
  "lineage": {
    "derived_from": [
      "legacy_irc_botnet_engine"
    ],
    "variants": [
      "cybernetic_v1.2",
      "ircbot.cybernetic"
    ]
  },
  "d3fend": [
    "D3-PSA",
    "D3-FPA",
    "D3-NTA",
    "D3-EFA",
    "D3-MFA"
  ],
  "cve": [
    "CVE-2003-0352",
    "CVE-2003-0533"
  ],
  "iocs": {
    "file_hashes": [
      "d9e0f1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e8f9a0b1c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d9e0",
      "e0f1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e8f9a0b1c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d9e0f1"
    ],
    "delivery": [
      "Automated port scanning targeting Microsoft Windows SMB (TCP 445) and RPC (TCP 135)",
      "Malicious attachments distributed across IRC channels and P2P networks"
    ],
    "persistence": [
      "HKLM\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Run\\CyberNeticBot",
      "Windows Service registration disguised as 'Windows Network Assistant Service'"
    ]
  },
  "target_platforms": [
    "Windows 11",
    "Windows 10",
    "Windows 7"
  ]
}