FBI's Takedown of Qakbot: Unraveling a Notorious Botnet

The FBI, in collaboration with international partners, successfully dismantled the Qakbot botnet, known for facilitating ransomware attacks and generating $58 million in ransom payments. The operation, named "Operation Duck Hunt," involved redirecting the botnet's network traffic to servers under the control of the U.S. government, allowing the FBI to take control of the botnet. The FBI used the botnet to distribute an uninstaller that removed Qakbot malware from infected machines, preventing further installation of malware. The operation also resulted in the seizure of over $8.6 million in cryptocurrency from the Qakbot cybercriminal organization.