Tech companies working with US law enforcement “significantly degraded” the NetNut residential proxy network as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt the tools cybercriminals use to conceal their activity, say researchers.
The work was carried out by Google, Lumen, Shadowserver, the FBI, and others, and marks a continuation of the IPIDEA proxy network disruption from January.
According to Google Cloud, those working on the operation believe NetNut was among the most popular residential proxy network providers and had at least 2 million devices enrolled in its botnet, comprising mainly small TV-streaming hardware. Crims often use residential proxy networks to make it look like their traffic is actually coming from legit homes and businesses.
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:
- Microsoft gave FBI a set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects’ laptops
January 23, 2026
Microsoft provided the FBI with the recovery keys to unlock encrypted data on the hard drives of three laptops as part of a federal investigation, Forbes reported on Friday. Many modern Windows computers rely on full-disk encryption, called BitLocker, which is enabled by default. This type of technology should prevent anyone except the device owner from ...
- Ireland proposes new law allowing police to use spyware
January 22, 2026
Ireland is considering new legislation to give its law enforcement agencies more surveillance powers, including allowing the use of spyware. The Irish government announced this week the introduction of the Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill, which would regulate the use of “lawful interception,” the industry term for surveillance technology, including spyware made by companies such ...
- German police add Black Basta boss to EU most-wanted list
January 16, 2026
German cops have added Russian national Oleg Evgenievich Nefekov to their list of most-wanted criminals for his services to ransomware. Nefekov, 35, is accused of spearheading the Black Basta ransomware operation, which suffered a similar fate as Conti last year – ceasing activity after a major internal leak. His name and face also now appear ...
- Microsoft disrupts global cybercrime subscription service responsible for millions in fraud losses
January 14, 2026
Today, Microsoft is announcing a coordinated legal action in the United States and, for the first time, the United Kingdom to disrupt RedVDS, a global cybercrime subscription service fueling millions in fraud losses. These efforts are part of a broader joint operation with international law enforcement, including German authorities and Europol, which has allowed Microsoft and ...
- Man to plead guilty to hacking US Supreme Court filing system
January 13, 2026
A resident of Springfield, Tennessee, is expected to plead guilty to hacking the U.S. Supreme Court’s electronic document filing system dozens of times over several months. Prosecutors say between August and October 2023, Nicholas Moore, 24, “intentionally accessed a computer without authorization on 25 different days and thereby obtained information from a protected computer,” according to ...
- Paris releases Russian athlete accused by Washington of hacking attempts
January 10, 2026
Authorities in France have released a Russian national accused by the United States of participating in hacking attacks on companies for ransom in cryptocurrency. The man has been exchanged for a French citizen held in Russian custody, instead of being handed over to the U.S. The swap has been compared to the Griner case. Daniil Kasatkin, a ...