The FBI has fended off an attack by Russian military hackers trying to control thousands of routers and firewall devices.
The agency was able to regain control of the devices by capturing the same infrastructure that the spies used to communicate with the devices.
According to the FBI, the attackers plan to mobilize the compromised devices into a “botnet.” Botnets are used to carry out DDoS attacks, steal data, and send spam. It also allows an attacker to access a device and its connection.
With court approval, the agency secretly accessed thousands of routers and firewall devices to delete the malware and reconfigure the devices.
“We removed malware from devices used by thousands of mostly small businesses for network security all over thr world. We shut the door the Russians had used to get into them,” Wray said.
The targeted botnet was controlled by a malware called Cyclops Blink. The U.S. and UK cyber-defence authorities linked Cyclops Blink to “Sandstorm” in February.
Sandstorm is allegedly known as one of the hacking teams of Russia’s military intelligence service, which has been repeatedly accused of cyber attacks.
Cyclops Blink Malware specifically targeted WatchGuard and Asus network devices.
For more information, read the original story in Reuters.