- What: SystemBC malware infected 10,000 devices after a law enforcement takedown attempt.
- Impact: Infected machines are abused to proxy traffic and drop ransomware.
MALWARE & THREATS SystemBC Infects 10,000 Devices After Defying Law Enforcement Takedown The malware is known for dropping ransomware and other payloads, and for abusing infected machines to proxy traffic. By Ionut Arghire | February 5, 2026 (7:18 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Email The SystemBC malware loader has survived a law enforcement takedown attempt and has ensnared over 10,000 machines in a botnet, cybersecurity firm Silent Push warns. Also known as Coroxy and DroxiDat, SystemBC has been around since at least 2019 and is known for acting as a backdoor and for abusing infected machines for traffic proxying. Historically, the malware has also been involved in the distribution of ransomware and other malicious payloads, and was targeted by authorities in May 2024 as part of Operation Endgame. Despite the coordinated international law enforcement effort, the botnet’s activity did not cease, and its developer was seen posting updates on Russian-language underground forums, Silent Push notes. Now, there are more than 10,000 IP addresses generating SystemBC-specific traffic, most of them in the US (4,300). Large numbers of victims were also identified in Germany (829), France (448), Singapore (419), and India (294), the cybersecurity firm says. The malware mainly targets hosting providers, and Silent Push identified high-density IP addresses hosting official domains in Burkina Faso and Vietnam associated with SystemBC infections. ADVERTISEMENT. SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING. The malware is designed to turn infected machines into SOCKS5 proxies, allowing it to relay traffic, likely to hide malicious infrastructure and generate financial gain. SystemBC uses a rotating architecture, where the clients connect to internet-exposed command-and-control (C&C) servers that proxy traffic through the infected hosts. Analysis of the C&C communication associated with the botnet revealed the existence of a Perl-based SystemBC variant targeting Linux systems, which in turn showed that the malware’s developer is a Russian speaker. While SystemBC is known for dropping malware on Windows systems, Silent Push’s investigation also revealed that many of the infected hosts have been involved in attacks targeting WordPress websites. “SystemBC-associated infrastructure presents a sustained risk due to its role early in intrusion chains and its use across multiple threat actors. Proactive monitoring is critical, as activity tied to SystemBC is often a precursor to ransomware deployment and other follow-on abuse,” Silent Push notes. Related: Google Disrupts IPIDEA Proxy Network Related: Hugging Face Abused to Deploy Android RAT Related: Jordanian Admits in US Court to Selling Access to 50 Enterprise Networks Related: GoBruteforcer Botnet Targeting Crypto, Blockchain Projects WRITTEN BY Ionut Arghire Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek. More from Ionut Arghire VS Code Configs Expose GitHub Codespaces to Attacks Critical N8n Sandbox Escape Could Lead to Server Compromise Cisco, F5 Patch High-Severity Vulnerabilities Orion Raises $32 Million for Data Security DockerDash Flaw in Docker AI Assistant Leads to RCE, Data Theft Cryptominers, Reverse Shells Dropped in Recent React2Shell Attacks Fresh SolarWinds Vulnerability Exploited in Attacks RADICL Raises $31 Million for vSOC Latest News Organizations Urged to Replace Discontinued Edge Devices Flickr Security Incident Tied to Third-Party Email System In Other News: Record DDoS, Epstein’s Hacker, ESET Product Vulnerabilities Living off the AI: The Next Evolution of Attacker Tradecraft Airrived Emerges From Stealth With $6.1 Million in Funding ‘DKnife’ Implant Used by Chinese Threat Actor for Adversary-in-the-Middle Attacks 5 Bills to Boost Energy Sector Cyber Defenses Clear House Panel Critical SmarterMail Vulnerability Exploited in Ransomware Attacks TRENDING Daily Briefing Newsletter Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts. Webinar: Identity Under Attack: Why Every Business Must Respond Now February 11, 2026 Attendees will walk away with guidance for how to build robust identity defenses, unify them under a consistent security model, and ensure business operations move quickly without compromise. Register Virtual Event: Ransomware Resilience & Recovery 2026 Summit February 25, 2026 SecurityWeek’s 2026 Ransomware Summit will discuss a roadmap for defending the enterprise, from mitigating root causes to mastering recovery, giving security teams the critical insights needed to navigate and neutralize today’s ransomware extortion threats. Submit PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Pennsylvania has named Andy Ritter as CISO and Jim Sipe as executive deputy CIO. Hayete Gallot has rejoined Microsoft as Executive Vice President, Security. Torq has appointed industry veteran John White as Field CISO. More People On The Move EXPERT INSIGHTS Living off the AI: The Next Evolution of Attacker Tradecraft Living off the AI isn’t a hypothetical but a natural continuation of the tradecraft we’ve all been defending against, now mapped onto assistants, agents, and MCP. (Etay Maor) Why We Can’t Let AI Take the Wheel of Cyber Defense The fastest way to squander the promise of AI is to mistake automation for assurance, and novelty for resilience. (Steve Durbin) The Upside Down is Real: What Stranger Things Teaches Us About Modern Cybersecurity To all those who are fighting the good fight in the world of cyber, keep collaborating to ensure our world never succumbs to the chaos of the Upside Down. (Nadir Izrael) Why Identity Security Must Move Beyond MFA By integrating identity threat detection with MFA, organizations can protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and reduce risk exposure. (Torsten George) Forget Predictions: True 2026 Cybersecurity Priorities From Leaders Security leaders chart course beyond predictions with focus on supply chain, governance, and team efficiency. (Jennifer Leggio) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Email