The court-authorized law enforcement operation stopped botnet devices infected by People’s Republic of China state-sponsored hackers with Technology Group, according to a Sept. 18 news release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
A variety of consumer devices, such as small office/home office routers, internet protocol (IP) cameras, digital video recorders, and network-attached storage devices were infected by the malware spread using the botnet. According to the news release, thousands of these infected devices were connected by the malware into a botnet that allowed malicious cyber activities to appear as routine internet traffic from infected devices.
"The Justice Department is zeroing in on the Chinese government-backed hacking groups that target the devices of innocent Americans and pose a serious threat to our national security. As we did earlier this year, the Justice Department has again destroyed a botnet used by PRC-backed hackers to infiltrate consumer devices here in the United States and around the world. We will continue to aggressively counter the threat that China’s state-sponsored hacking groups pose to the American people," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in the Sept. 18 news release.
According to court documents, Beijing-based Integrity Technology Group is identified as the developer and controller of the botnet. The company built an online application called KRLab that allowed customers to log in and control infected devices with a "vulnerability arsenal." The court-authorized operation gained control of the hackers’ infrastructure and sent disabling commands through the malware to the infected devices. Even a Directed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack targeting FBI infrastructure used in the operation failed.
The US Department of Justice dates back to 1789 when the Office of the Attorney General was created by the Judiciary Act of 1780. In 1865, according to its webpage dedicated to its history, it became the primary authority over civil claims, with the Attorney General supervising and controlling all government litigation.
