Google Wins Legal Battle With Two Russians Operating A Blockchain-Built Botnet
In a significant victory against online crime, a US federal court has ordered three Russians and a Ukrainian to pay Google $9.1 million for developing and operating a blockchain-based botnet. The Glupteba botnet was used to steal user information and generate fake internet traffic.
The four defendants were charged with conspiracy, computer fraud, abuse, and money laundering. They were also ordered to pay restitution of $567,000 to the victims.
“This case sends a message that we will use the full force of the law to punish those who develop and operate botnets,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The Glupteba botnet was first identified in 2012 and was used to steal login credentials and other sensitive information from infected computers. It also generated fake internet traffic to generate advertising revenue.
In 2015, the botnet launched a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against a French hosting provider. The attack caused the provider to lose over $600,000 in revenue.
This is not the first time that Google has taken legal action against those responsible for online crime. In 2016, the company filed a lawsuit against a group of individuals responsible for the “AdClicker” botnet.
That botnet was used to click on ads and generate revenue for the individuals behind it. Additionally, these two men were arrested in the United States for involvement in an international cybercrime ring that used a botnet to mine cryptocurrencies.
Maxim Filippov and Dmitriy Starovikov were also charged with money laundering, computer fraud, and conspiracy. They are accused of using the Gluteba botnet to infect over one million computers worldwide with malware. Then, they can use the malware-infected computers to mine cryptocurrencies, steal personal and financial data, and place disruptive ads.
The Court Ruling
The duo allegedly worked as software engineers for a company called Valtron LLC. They have been accused of attempting to willfully misinform the court and acting to deprive Google of discoverable information.
The actors asked for $1 million each from Google, and $110,000 in attorney’s fees, in exchange for giving the private keys for Bitcoin addresses linked to the Glupteba botnet. However, Google rejected the offer, calling it “extortionate.”
The defendants then said they did not have the information and that Valtron’s CEO owned the Bitcoin accounts. In its ruling, the court found that the defendants “knowingly and intentionally” created and operated the Glupteba botnet.
The court ordered the defendants to pay Google $8.9 million in damages. This ruling is a significant victory for Google and other companies targeted by the Glupteba botnet.
Also, it sends a strong message to those using blockchain technology to conduct illegal activity.
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