Guess what’s making waves in the cyber realm? The FBI just shut down the notorious IPStorm botnet, and the puppet master behind it? Sergei Makinin, a tech wizard from Russia and Moldova.
Here’s the scoop: Makinin crafted some nasty malware between 2019 and 2022, infiltrating thousands of devices globally – Windows, Linux, Macs, you name it. But here’s the twist – instead of just causing chaos, he turned these devices into cyber puppets, proxies for internet traffic. The showstopper? Selling anonymized internet traffic as a service for those craving online invisibility.
By 2020, the IPStorm botnet had 13,500 devices under its spell. Makinin’s website flaunted 23,000 “highly anonymous” proxies worldwide, raking in $550,000. The FBI confirmed they’ve got all the crypto wallets tied to this cyber spectacle.
Plot twist – while the FBI took down the botnet’s infrastructure, the malware squatters weren’t booted from the infected endpoints. Surprising, right? Makinin pleaded guilty to three charges, each carrying a potential 10-year sentence.
This isn’t the FBI’s first rodeo. They’ve been on a cyber takedown spree, dismantling the Qakbot botnet a while back. Now, in their latest move, they went undercover, infiltrated the botnet, and sent a digital decree to kick out the malware squatters. The cyber stage is set, and the FBI’s flexing its muscles in the world of 1s and 0s.
