Aeternum Botnet Shifts Command Control to Polygon Blockchain

Qrator Research Lab uncovered Aeternum, a commercially offered C++ botnet loader that moves C2 to Polygon blockchain smart contracts: operators submit commands on-chain via a web panel and infected hosts poll RPC endpoints for immutable instructions. This model removes central servers and domains from the disruption equation, lowers operational cost, and enables rapid distribution of diverse payloads (information stealers, clippers, RATs, miners), significantly complicating takedown efforts and shifting defensive emphasis to traffic filtering and edge mitigation.