Google Dismantles XCPE Botnet of 1.3 Million Android Devices
Google on Monday announced the dismantling of XCPE (aka X.CPE), a backdoor and botnet of more than 1.3 million Android set-top boxes.
The malware was developed and deployed by Videostrong Technology, a China-based original equipment manufacturer and original design manufacturer (OEM/ODM) of Android devices that also operated the botnet.
Videostrong, Google says, sold access to affiliates and loaded malicious modules on the backdoored devices, which were then abused for ad fraud and data exfiltration, as residential proxies, and for loading additional malware.
“We found this malicious software built directly into many different device models and brands over multiple years, supported by dedicated infrastructure and constantly evolving configurations to evade detection and manage their affiliates,” the internet giant says.
As part of the takedown, Google took legal action to take down the botnet’s domains and servers, as well as the command-and-control (C&C) domains behind the additional modules loaded on the...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to www.securityweek.com. To see the full text click HERE
