German authorities, under the leadership of the Frankfurt Prosecutor's Office, spearheading an assault on pro-Russian hackers
In a significant move to combat cybercrime, a botnet consisting of servers distributed worldwide was taken down by an international operation involving 12 countries, including Germany, the United States, and Spain. The botnet, which has been operating for an extended period, potentially years, was responsible for carrying out targeted distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on websites.
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Germany led the operation on Wednesday, resulting in the seizure of servers involved in the botnet. The botnet operators, who have not been publicly identified, are believed to have been using the servers to generate revenue through extortion and ransom demands.
Investigations revealed that the botnet was used by the hacker group NoName057(16), an ideologically motivated hacktivist collective supporting Russia. The group has been active since November 2023, carrying out multiple cyberattacks, including 14 waves of attacks in Germany targeting critical infrastructure such as defense contractors, electricity suppliers, transport companies, public institutions, and government agencies.
Seven suspected members of this group, including its leaders, have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued, with six of them being Russian citizens. The suspects face charges related to their membership in a criminal organization conducting politically motivated DDoS cyberattacks that disrupted politics, society, and critical infrastructure.
The operation also involved 24 raids, with 24 searches conducted in locations linked to volunteers recruited by NoName057(16). The group reportedly recruited over 4,000 supporters via Telegram, social media, and hacker forums.
The botnet operators are believed to have employed sophisticated techniques to evade detection and used a combination of malware and compromised devices to control the botnet. No further details were provided about the number of servers seized.
This coordinated international effort was led by German agencies like the BKA and the Public Prosecutor General’s Office in Frankfurt am Main, along with international partners coordinated by Europol and Eurojust. The arrests in Germany are part of a broader effort to combat cybercrime and maintain the security of critical infrastructure.
[1] Source: Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) press release [2] Source: German Public Prosecutor General’s Office in Frankfurt am Main press release [3] Source: Europol press release [4] Source: Eurojust press release
Technology played a crucial role in the takedown of the global botnet, which was a significant cybersecurity threat, as detailed in general-news reports. The botnet, responsible for DDoS attacks and suspected extortion, was taken down as part of an operation led by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Germany, involving 12 countries and resulting in the seizure of servers. The investigation also revealed that the hacker group NoName057(16), supporting Russia, used the botnet for politically motivated DDoS attacks on critical infrastructure, including Germany's defense, electricity, transport, and government sectors. The group, active since November 2023, has been charged with crimes related to cybersecurity and crime-and-justice offenses.