It started as a fight over a Minecraft server. It ended with the entire internet going dark. 🎮🌐 We investigate the Mirai Botnet, the digital weapon created by three college students to cheat at a block game that accidentally paralyzed the Western world .

1. The "Internet of Targets": We break down how Paras Jha (aka Anna-Senpai) weaponized millions of unsecured IoT devices—toasters, cameras, DVRs—using a simple dictionary attack on default passwords. We explain how this "zombie army" launched a 1.2 terabit DDoS attack on Dyn, taking down Netflix, Twitter, and Reddit in minutes .

2. Pandora's Box: We expose the cover-up. Realizing the FBI was closing in, Jha released the Mirai Source Code to the public to hide his tracks. We discuss how this single act democratized military-grade cyber weapons, allowing anyone to build a botnet and permanently changing the landscape of cyber warfare .

3. The FBI Deal: Justice or utility? We analyze the controversial ending. Instead of a long prison sentence, the creators were recruited by the FBI to fight the very monsters they helped create. We ask: did they trade their skills for immunity, and does this incentivize the next generation of hackers? .

The full list of sources used to create this episode can be found on our Patreon under ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain