"US Announces IPStorm Botnet Takedown and Its Creator’s Guilty Plea"

The US government recently announced the takedown of the IPStorm botnet and the guilty plea of a man who created and operated the cybercrime service.  According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), the FBI dismantled the infrastructure associated with the IPStorm malware and the proxy network powered by the IPStorm botnet.  The malware was delivered to thousands of Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android devices worldwide, enabling cybercriminals to use the compromised devices for a proxy service.  The DoJ noted that the proxy service, advertised on proxx.io and proxx.net, could be used by cybercriminals to hide their malicious online activities, with some customers paying hundreds of dollars every month to route their traffic through IPStorm-infected devices.  The websites advertising the service claimed that it was powered by 23,000 proxies.  Sergei Makinin, a Russian and Moldovan national, has admitted creating and operating the botnet between June 2019 and December 2022, pleading guilty in September to three counts of transmitting a program that intentionally caused damage to protected computers.  Makinin faces up to 10 years in prison for each count, and he has agreed to forfeit the cryptocurrency he earned as a result of his illegal activities.  The man told investigators that he obtained at least $550,000 from the scheme.

SecurityWeek reports: "US Announces IPStorm Botnet Takedown and Its Creator’s Guilty Plea"