title: Botnet (T1584.005)
id: df00tech-t1584-005
status: experimental
description: "Adversaries may compromise numerous third-party systems to form a botnet that can be used during targeting. A botnet is a network of compromised systems that can be instructed to perform coordinated tasks. Instead of purchasing/renting a botnet from a booter/stresser service, adversaries may build their own botnet by compromising numerous third-party systems. Adversaries may also conduct a takeover of an existing botnet by redirecting bots to adversary-controlled C2 servers. With a botnet at their disposal, adversaries may perform follow-on activity such as large-scale phishing or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). Notable real-world operators include Volt Typhoon operating KV Botnet through compromised Cisco and NETGEAR SOHO routers, Sandworm's Cyclops Blink targeting SOHO network devices, HAFNIUM using compromised devices in covert proxy networks, and Axiom using large groups of compromised machines as proxy nodes."
references:
  - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1584/005/
  - https://df00tech.com/detections/T1584.005
author: df00tech
date: 2026/04/13
tags:
  - attack.t1584.005
# NOTE: logsource is auto-derived and may need adjustment for your environment
logsource:
  category: network_connection
  product: windows
detection:
  # This detection logic could not be auto-translated; see the KQL/SPL query on df00tech.
  selection:
    EventID: '*'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - "Monitoring and observability agents (Datadog, SolarWinds, PRTG, Zabbix) that check-in to cloud endpoints at regular intervals with small payloads"
  - "Software update services and telemetry clients (Windows Update, browser update checks, antivirus cloud lookups) that connect frequently to the same CDN or update endpoint"
  - VoIP and real-time communication platforms that maintain persistent connections with high-frequency keepalives
  - "Gaming clients, streaming services, and P2P applications that maintain persistent external connections"
  - Network management tools or custom scripts that perform frequent health checks against external services
level: high