Dutch Authorities Disrupt Botnet of at Least 17 Million Devices
Summary
Dutch police and the NCSC say they disrupted a botnet of at least 17 million devices and seized more than 200 servers. Local media reportedly linked the operation to proxy service Asocks; authorities did not name the botnet.
Key points
- Dutch police and the NCSC investigated and seized several botnet servers from a hosting provider in the Netherlands.
- The NCSC said the botnet comprised at least 17 million infected devices.
- Authorities said the seized servers controlled computers, tablets, and smartphones for cyberattacks.
- The hosting provider took the botnet offline because it was being used for criminal activity.
- Local media reportedly linked the operation to Asocks, but authorities did not name the botnet; Asocks had not responded to a request for comment by publication time.
- The article advises changing default credentials, applying firmware updates, and disabling remote administration when it is not needed.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Dutch law enforcement disruption of a botnet and seizure of supporting servers.
- Impact
- Authorities reported that the botnet comprised at least 17 million infected devices and seized more than 200 servers in the Netherlands. The servers had controlled computers, tablets, and smartphones used for cyberattacks. Local media reportedly linked the botnet to Asocks; authorities did not name the botnet.