GOOGLE has taken action against a major hacking operation that it thinks has infected more than one million devices.
The tech giant is coming down hard on the so-called Glupteba botnet, suing two Russians who are allegedly behind it.
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It’s a notorious piece of malware known for taking control of people’s Windows PCs.
Crooks can then steal peoples’ details and data, as well as using your machine to mine cryptocurrency.
At times the vicious attack was spreading at a rate of thousands of new devices per day.
Google said it has disrupted the operation by terminating about 63million Google Docs detected sharing Glupteba, more than 1,100 Google Accounts and even 870 Google Ads.
But it warned the criminal masterminds running things have already taken steps to keep the network running.
“We understand and recognise the threats the Internet faces, and we are doing our part to address them,” the firm pledged.
It’s the first time legal action has been launched against a blockchain enabled botnet.
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The claim was filed to Southern District of New York, for computer fraud and abuse, and trademark infringement.
They also asked for a temporary restraining order.
Google hopes the move will put other cyber criminals off doing the same.
Though security experts have their doubts.
“It is rare that those behind such operations are ever caught so it is often best to fight such activities with preventative measures,” said Jake Moore, a cybersecurity specialist from the internet security firm ESET.
As ever with any computer, you should have antivirus software and run regular scans, as well as replacing default passwords with unique passwords.
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In other news, iPhone owners are being urged to change their settings in order to protect their texts from snoopers.
The UK is fighting an epidemic of hack attacks targeting consumers and businesses, according to officials.
Apple has announced that it will let customers fix their own iPhones for the first time starting next year.
And, a 75-year-old Brit has told of his anger after scammers on WhatsApp fooled him into sending them hundreds of pounds.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
