US judicial authorities on Tuesday announced the dismantling of an international computer hacking network known as Qakbot, which has infected more than 700,000 computers worldwide and cost victims millions of dollars in ransoms.
The international operation to neutralize the network’s infrastructure was carried out in collaboration with French, British, German, Dutch, Romanian and Latvian police and judicial authorities, US federal prosecutor Martin Estrada said at a news conference in Los Angeles, saying noted that $8.6 million worth of cryptocurrencies were seized.
In a statement, the French Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the participation of France, Germany and the Netherlands in the operation, which took place on August 26.
According to the same source, of the more than 700,000 machines attacked, 26,000 were in France and more than 200,000 in the United States, according to the US federal police.
Launched in 2008, the proliferation of computers hacked by Qakbot has made it “the ‘malware’ of choice for cybercriminals around the world,” Estrada explains.
Over the past 18 months, hacking operations facilitated by Qakbot have cost victims a total of $58 million in ransoms (approximately $53 million).
Targets in the US include an energy engineering company, financial services companies, food distribution companies and a defense equipment manufacturer.
The prosecutor did not report any suspects or arrests and stressed that the investigation is continuing.
Source: DN
