The US Department of Justice announced Thursday that it worked with Germany and Canada. They disrupted the main computer networks of four big internet botnets. These botnets affected over 3 million devices globally. Many of these devices were in the United States.
The DOJ said these bad botnets are named Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid, and Mossad. They were used for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Some attacks targeted websites of the US Department of Defense.
Most of the infected devices were part of the Internet of Things (IoT). This means connected devices like webcams, digital video recorders, and WiFi routers. This information comes from Reuters.
Botnet operators launched hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks. They targeted computers and servers worldwide. Some IP addresses of the US Defense network were hit. Attackers sometimes demanded money from victims.
“Disrupting four powerful botnets today shows our commitment. We will remove emerging cyber threats facing the Department of Defense and its warriors,” said Kenneth De Crecy, special agent in charge for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The operation happened at the same time in the US, Germany, and Canada. It targeted people running these internet botnets. The Department of Justice explained this.
About 20 major tech companies helped in this operation. This includes Amazon Web Services, Google, and PayPal. Nokia also helped. The European law enforcement agency Europol's 'Power-All' team also assisted. They have been fighting cybercriminals since 2017. Their focus is on DDoS attacks.