Dutch cops wrest 17M devices from mystery botnet’s clutches


Dutch police say they dismantled a large botnet this week comprising at least 17 million infected devices.

After being tipped off by a researcher at the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL), police began an investigation, which resulted in the discovery of 200 servers underpinning the botnet’s infrastructure located in the country.

Cybercrime specialists at The Hague Police Unit seized a number of servers from a hosting provider for further analysis, and the provider then shut down the botnet after realizing it was being used for “criminal purposes.”

Read more…
Source:  The Register


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Ransomware attacks cripple government services across Dutch Caribbean islands

    August 2, 2025

    Several major government institutions across the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were hit by cyberattacks last week, including a ransomware attack on Curaçao’s Tax and Customs Administration that temporarily disabled critical services, NOS reports. According to Curaçao’s Minister of Finance, ransomware was used in the attack on the tax authority. After the breach ...

  • International Criminal Court hit with cyber security attack

    June 30, 2025

    The International Criminal Court has been targeted by a “sophisticated” cyberattack and is taking measures to limit any damage, the global tribunal announced Monday. The ICC, which also was hit by a cyberattack in 2023, said the latest incident had been contained but did not elaborate further on the impact or possible motive. “A Court-wide impact ...

  • Europe-wide takedown hits longest-standing dark web drug market

    June 16, 2025

    Law enforcement authorities across Europe have dismantled ‘Archetyp Market’, the most enduring dark web marketplace, following a large-scale operation involving six countries, supported by Europol and Eurojust. Between 11 and 13 June, a series of coordinated actions took place across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors, and technical infrastructure. ...

  • Dutch authorities claim Russia-backed group hacked into networks of police and NATO

    May 27, 2025

    A previously unknown Russian hacking group was behind attacks last year on the networks of the Dutch police, NATO and several European countries, Dutch intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The group, nicknamed Laundry Bear by the security agencies, was most likely supported by the Russian state, the Dutch General Intelligence Agency and Military Agency said in ...

  • Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal’s work

    May 15, 2025

    The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen. The Hague-based court’s American staffers have been told that if they travel to the U.S. they risk arrest. Some non-governmental organizations have stopped working with the ICC and the leaders of one won’t even reply to emails ...

  • Encrypted messaging service intercepted, 2.3 million messages read by law enforcement

    December 9, 2024

    European law enforcement agencies have taken down yet another encrypted messaging service mainly used by criminals. The Matrix encrypted messaging service was an invite-only service which was also marketed under the names Mactrix, Totalsec, X-quantum, or Q-safe. Dutch and French authorities started an investigation when the service was found on the phone of a criminal convicted ...