Dutch Police Dismantle Massive 17-Million-Device Botnet
Dutch police say they have disrupted a massive botnet consisting of 17 million infected computers, smartphones, and tablets.
According to the authorities, the botnet was discovered after a security researcher reported it to the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL).
During their investigation into the botnet, the authorities identified 200 servers used to control infected devices and launch cyberattacks.
As part of the takedown efforts, several servers associated with the botnet were seized from a hosting provider in the Netherlands, and the provider took down the entire network for being used for illicit activities, the police say.
“Criminals can remotely control the devices, often without the owner noticing. Botnets are used for cyberattacks, sending spam and phishing emails, online fraud, and disrupting websites by sending large amounts of internet traffic simultaneously,” the Dutch police said.
The Dutch authorities did not name the hosting provider, nor the botnet, but local...
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