The U.S. Department of Justice states that the FBI, in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, has successfully dismantled QakBot, a botnet that has been utilized by hacking groups for ransomware attacks and other cyber-related crimes for fifteen years.
The botnet consisted of around 700,000 infected computers, with 200,000 of them located in the United States. According to the FBI, the botnet has been used in attacks that have resulted in direct and indirect damages amounting to costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. QakBot appears to have been primarily used by Russian-speaking hackers.
In conjunction with taking down QakBot, the FBI also seized approximately 8 million dollars’ worth of cryptocurrencies. So far, no arrests have been made as a result of this operation. The FBI has offered a reward of 10 million dollars for information leading to the apprehension of those responsible for QakBot.
