Mirai Malware and Its Impact on IoT Security: Security Threats and Defense Mechanisms

Mirai virus is known since 2016 and now has become a critical source of insecurity for the internet of things. This botnet takes over the devices infected by it to orchestrate massive Distributed Denial of Service attacks. This essay will describe the construction of Mirai, how it works, and how it has grown with time, with special attention to how it acquires its botnet using default login credentials in most IoT devices. Now that the source code of Mirai has been published, new variants of this virus have emerged and it has seen a tremendous growth in global DDoS attacks. The paper shall discuss how Mirai works, its impact on the security of IoT, and how the possible attacks can be mitigated. The increasing integration of IoT devices in our lives and modern infrastructures call for discussing threats like Mirai and other viruses. We will now see how Mirai works and discuss greater implications in the context of IoT security. It would be quite crucial for organizations to know how Mirai and its variations work and which vulnerabilities it attacks so they can better prepare against this kind of threat. Because of the ease and efficiency that IoT devices provide, it is imperative to fill up holes exposed by Mirai and similar infections to keep the digital environment safe.