Google Helps Take Down NetNut Proxy Network Built on 2 Million Infected Devices

A joint operation that included Google has disrupted the NetNut residential proxy network. The network gave its customers access to millions of compromised Android-based devices, including smart TVs and streaming boxes.

According to the source, the operation cut off roughly two million infected devices from the network.

What we know about NetNut

NetNut operated as a residential proxy network — a service that routes internet traffic through the IP addresses of real users' devices. Such networks are in demand for legitimate purposes as well as among malicious actors, since traffic passing through home IP addresses is harder to distinguish from ordinary user activity.

In this case, access to the devices enrolled in the network was obtained by compromising Android gadgets — primarily smart TVs and TV streaming boxes.

Google's role

Google took part in the operation to disrupt the network, which points to a link between the infected devices and the Android ecosystem. Details about the methods used to identify and disconnect the compromised devices, as well as about the other participants in the operation, have not yet been disclosed.

The scale of the incident — around two million devices — makes NetNut one of the largest known residential proxy networks built on compromised consumer gadgets.

Source: Bleeping Computer