l’FBI managed to dismantle ‘Cyclops Blink’, a Russian botnet of “gigantic size” before it could launch a violent attack on Western IT infrastructures. The botnet’s authorship is attributed to: sandworma highly effective hacking group under the direct control of the Russian secret services.
A botnet is a network of computers, or intelligent devices connected to the Internet, under the control of a malicious actor. normally the hacker They ‘capture’ machines that are part of a botnet without the knowledge of their owners and infect them with malware.
We often talk about hundreds of thousands of computers, although in the recent past it has become much more common to use printers, webcams, modems and others. infected IoT devices In short, tens of thousands (sometimes millions) of devices with extremely limited power, but which can be deployed together to launch a deadly DDoS attack on a target, disrupting the IT services of companies and institutions. Not surprisingly, informally speaking of these kinds of threats, botnets are often compared to legions of zombies.
The operation that led to the destruction of the botnet Cyclops flashes dates from last March. The FBI was able to access the botnet control server, allowing the Bureau’s IT experts to “liberate” the malware-infected devices, quickly negating a task that took Russian hackers several years.
The FBI has indicated that the Russian malware still remains installed on previously infected devices, but that the hackers no longer have control over it.
“This operation is a testament to the FBI’s commitment to combating cyber threats, thanks to our unparalleled authority and ability to coordinate with our allies,” said Bureau Director Bryan Vorndran. “We will continue to fight cyber threats that endanger national security and the lives of Americans.”
In a note, the US government added that Russia has in the recent past used Cyclops Blink-like tools to deliver violent attacks on Ukraine’s computer infrastructure Previously, the US government had also warned that its 007s expected major cyberwarfare against the US any moment, in retaliation for recent sanctions against the Russian economy approved by the White House.
Source: Lega Nerd
