A joint operation between the FBI and international partners successfully removed PlugX malware from over 4,000 US computers. This remote access trojan, dating back to 2008, was a favorite tool of a hacking group. The FBI gained access to a control server and used it to send commands to infected computers, instructing them to delete the malware.
A joint press release from the US Justice Department and the FBI has announced a multi-month law enforcement operation involving multiple international partners that has succeeded in removing malware from over 4,000 US computers. The malware in question is a particularly nasty remote access trojan known as PlugX, believed to have been active since 2008 and favored by a hacking group.
The malware receives commands via a control server, one of which the FBI gained access to with the help of French authorities. This allowed them to identify the IP addresses of PlugX-affected computers. Once the infected PCs were identified, the FBI sent its own commands via the compromised server, instructing it to delete itself remotely. The FBI reports that 4,285 US machines were healed in this manner, with many thousands more cleansed in a similar fashion by partner law enforcement agencies around the world. However, cybersecurity firms have long been aware of widespread usage of the trojan, and estimates suggest that PlugX infections are far more prevalent than indicated by this relatively small batch. These infected devices were discovered by pinging outwards from a different command-and-control server, and the data suggests that, far from being nipped in the bud, PlugX may well be active in the background of a significant portion of PCs as we speak.
MALWARE PLUGX FBI CYBERSECURITY HACKING REMOTE ACCESS TROJAN
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