Global initiative takes down cybercrime proxy network affecting 369,000 devices

Global initiative takes down cybercrime proxy network affecting 369,000 devices

An international law enforcement operation has dismantled a sprawling, illicit IP proxy network used by cybercriminals to mask their digital footprints, Eurojust announced Thursday. The coordinated strike, spanning eight countries and supported by Europol, successfully knocked the hidden service offline.

The network is believed to have infected about 369,000 modems and routers across 163 countries with malware, allowing its roughly 124,000 customers to seamlessly route their internet traffic through the compromised devices without the owners’ knowledge. Customers paid for the proxy access anonymously using a dedicated cryptocurrency platform that generated more than five million euros ($5.76 million) in illicit revenue for the administrators.