FBI Socks it to Cybercriminals: $46M Proxy Empire Crumbles
The FBI and Dutch police dismantled 5socks and Anyproxy, proxy services favored by cybercriminals for anonymity. Four individuals are charged, accused of using hijacked routers to create a botnet infrastructure. The sites now sport a takedown banner, courtesy of the DOJ. Stay tuned, hackers—more enforcement action is on the menu!
Hot Take:
Well, it seems the FBI and the Dutch National Police decided to play some serious Whac-A-Mole with cybercriminals by seizing the pretend-fancy masks of 5socks and Anyproxy. These guys had been offering a virtual invisibility cloak for hackers, but it looks like their magic show is now officially over. Who knew that ‘elite anonymous proxies’ were just a fancy term for ‘botnet shenanigans?’
Key Points:
- The FBI and Dutch National Police dismantled the infrastructure of 5socks and Anyproxy.
- Four individuals were charged, including three Russians and one Kazakhstani.
- The services were built on compromised wireless routers, forming a botnet.
- Proxies were used to mask identities and facilitate cybercrime.
- Lumen helped law enforcement with internet backbone data.
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