The FBI, Google and 20 technology organizations have teamed up to launch a giant network (3ve) in cyberspace that was used by criminals to create false views and clicks.
For those who do not know what fake clikcs means, it's a method used to trick advertising networks. The above network has been operating for the last four years and has earned millions of dollars in revenue for its creators.
In addition to a coordinated intervention to remove botnets from the network, the American Ministry Justice also announced an indictment against eight suspects believed to be behind the project. Three of them have already been arrested and are expected to be extradited to the US.
According to a DOJ indictment and a white paper released by Google and Cyber-Security White Ops, the eight suspects are believed to be the primary administrators of the particular fraud system that is believed to work at least from 2014.
The researchers και το FBI, δήλωσαν ότι οι διαχειριστές χρησιμοποίησαν διαφορετικά προγράμματα για να δημιουργήσουν προβολές διαφημίσεων και κλικ. Χρησιμοποιούσαν τεχνάσματα, όπως τη μίσθωση άλλων botnet, αλλά και τη δημιουργία δικών τους botnets που φιλοξενούνταν σε διαφορετικά data centers, για να αποκρύψουν τις πραγματικές διευθύνσεις IP. Δημιουργούσαν ακόμα και νομιμοφανείς σελίδες για την προβολή διαφημίσεων αλλά και για τον έλεγχο των bots.
According to the FBI, in one of these tricks they used more than 1.900 servers to host MethBot / Miuref / Boaxxe bots.
The bots were set up to mimic her movement originating from desktops as well as mobile devices.
Researchers report that gang managed to extend the bot to more than 700.000 computers, infecting them with Kovter malware. The bot has secretly opened browser windows to load websites that have, of course, brought more profits to criminals.
In one publishing on the blog of the company, Google revealed today that it was aware of the bot's capabilities and functions since last year. Google said it has put together a task force made up of big tech names: Microsoft, ESET, Symantec, Proofpoint, Trend Micro, F-Secure, Malwarebytes, CenturyLink, MediaMath, White Ops, Amazon, Adobe, Trade Desk, Oath, The Shadowserver Foundation, και National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance.
The names of 8 arrested: Aleksandr Zhukov (38, Russia), Boris Timokhin (39 from Russia), Mikhail Andreev (34 from Russia), Denis Avdeev (40 from Russia), Dmitry Novikov (?? Sergey Ovsyannikov (30 from Kazakhstan), Aleksandr Isaev (31 from Russia), and Yevgeniy Timchenko (30 years from Kazakhstan).
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