Verified65% confidenceFactExact time
When the Mirai botnet was first documented in 2016, it used a dictionary of default credentials to control more than 600,000 IoT devices and launched DDoS attacks with peak traffic reaching 1.1 Tbps, causing brief outages on platforms including Twitter and Netflix.
3
Sources
65%
Confidence
Long-term
Relevance
7/16/2026
First Seen
Sources
Related Claims
VerifiedIn 2016, the Mirai botnet hijacked hundreds of thousands of IoT devices with default passwords and launched what was then the largest DDoS attack, causing widespread internet outages along the US East Coast.83% similarUnverifiedThe Mirai botnet, which erupted in 2016, took control of more than 600,000 devices in a short period of time by automatically scanning for devices using factory default passwords.75% similarUnverifiedIoT devices have long been a prime target for botnets.67% similarUnverifiedDDoS-as-a-Service (Booter/Stresser) offerings are available on platforms such as the dark web and Telegram, where attackers can pay a few dozen dollars to rent a botnet and launch attacks of hundreds of Gbps.66% similarUnverifiedSecurity incidents including the large-scale cryptocurrency mining attack of 2018 and the Mēris botnet both involved compromised MikroTik routers.64% similar
Cite This Claim
Stable URI
https://kongchang.com/claim/524071API
curl https://kongchang.com/api/v1/knowledge/claims/524071MCP
get_claim(id=524071)