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FBI shuts down a network of ‘bots’ controlled by Russian Military Intelligence Directorate

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The FBI has reported the dismantling of a network of ‘bots’ developed by the Russian Federation’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) with the goal of infecting offices and small enterprises around the world.

According to a statement from the FBI, “this GRU team, Sandworm, had implanted a specific type of malware known as Cyclops Blink on thousands of WatchGuard Technologies’ Firebox devices—these are security appliances, mainly firewalls, that are typically deployed in home office environments and in small to mid-size businesses.”

Sandworm linked them together to disguise who was truly in charge of the network, allowing them to unleash malware or coordinate widespread denial-of-service operations like the GRU did in Ukraine.

FBI Director Christopher Wray pointed out that the GRU’s Sandworm team has a long history of outrageous, destructive attacks, including the disruption of the Ukrainian electric grid in 2015, attacks against the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2018, a series of disruptive attacks against the nation of Georgia in 2019, and, most recently, the NotPetya attack in 2017, which devastated Ukraine but also hit systems in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, causing more than $10 billion in damages.

“The Russian government has shown it has no qualms about conducting this kind of criminal activity, and they continue to pose an imminent threat. And this global botnet disruption, in conjunction with the other actions discussed today, reflect an aggressive effort by the FBI and our partners to go on offense against Russian cyber threats, wherever they appear,” Wray said.

In an international effort coordinated with Germany to combat cybercrime, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Hydra, the world’s largest darknet market, located in Russia, and Garantex, an Estonia-registered virtual currency exchange platform.

This “Darknet takedown struck a blow against Russian criminals and the ecosystem of cryptocurrency tumblers, money launders, malware purveyors, and other supporting them,” Wray said, adding that “the botnet disruption we’re announcing today strikes a blow against Russian intelligence, the Russian government”.

Image Credit: Getty

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