Dutch Authorities Dismantle Botnet With 17 Million Infected Devices
Summary
Dutch authorities and the NCSC dismantled a botnet involving at least 17 million devices and more than 200 Netherlands-based servers. Local reporting linked the unnamed botnet to Asocks; a hosting provider took it offline after authorities seized some servers.
Key points
- Dutch police and the NCSC announced the botnet takedown after seizing a subset of its servers.
- The network reportedly involved at least 17 million infected computers, tablets, smartphones and IoT devices.
- More than 200 servers in the Netherlands reportedly supported the botnet’s backend infrastructure.
- Authorities did not name the botnet; local reporting identified the service as Asocks, a residential proxy provider.
- A hosting provider reportedly took the network offline after its infrastructure was used for criminal purposes.
- HUMAN’s Satori Threat Intelligence team identified the PROXYLIB campaign in 2024 involving infected Android devices and proxyware from LumiApps and Asocks.
- Recommended defenses include updating operating systems, changing default passwords, using two-factor authentication, installing apps from trusted sources and securing Wi-Fi.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Dutch law enforcement takedown of a botnet, including seizure of backend servers.
- Impact
- The botnet comprised at least 17 million infected devices, including computers, tablets, smartphones, and IoT devices. More than 200 servers in the Netherlands supported its backend; police seized some servers, and the hosting provider subsequently took the botnet offline after criminal use. Local reporting identified the service as Asocks, but authorities did not explicitly name the botnet.