Mantis

Mantis is a notable threat actor in the cybersecurity realm, known for its sophisticated and powerful botnet capabilities. The Tiny Mantis Botnet, as reported by HackRead, has been identified to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks more potent than those of the infamous Mirai botnet. This botnet's advanced functionality presents an increased risk to organizations worldwide due to its potential to disrupt services on a large scale. Moreover, Mantis was linked to several clusters of domains with shared Google Analytics code, indicating connections to other cyber operations groups such as TAG-63, APT-C-23, Desert Falcons, and Arid Viper. In July, another Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group named Praying Mantis exploited serialization flaws in ASP.NET applications to deploy fileless malware on IIS servers. This malware, dubbed NodeIISWeb, was engineered to hijack IIS functionality and was injected into the w3wp.exe process. These actions demonstrate the evolving tactics and techniques of threat actors like Mantis, which continuously seek out vulnerabilities in widely used systems to conduct their malicious activities. Despite these threats, cybersecurity professionals are taking steps to counteract these malicious entities. Robert Fitzgerald, Field CISO with Blue Mantis, has recommended training new professionals in this field to tackle such challenges. Jay Martin, security practice lead at Blue Mantis, further emphasized the importance of certifications like CISSP for those pursuing a technical career in cybersecurity. Additionally, investment in AI-driven approaches to client-side security, such as those developed by c/side and supported by Mantis VC, are being recognized for their potential to revolutionize protection against browser-executed attacks.