NetNut proxy network crippled: Google‑led strike cuts off 2 million devices

NetNut proxy network dismantled in joint operation

A coordinated effort that included Google has severed the NetNut proxy network, stripping access to roughly ↓ 2 million compromised Android phones, smart TVs and streaming boxes. Security analysts say the botnet fed illicit traffic to fraud schemes and ransomware groups.

Scope of the takedown

Investigators traced command‑and‑control servers to multiple hosting providers across three continents.

“The disruption will cripple the revenue stream of dozens of underground operators,” said a senior researcher at Reuters.

Google’s Safe Browsing team supplied network‑level signatures that allowed ISPs to block residual traffic, resulting in an estimated ↑ 15% drop in malicious requests within hours.

Law‑enforcement agencies in the United States and Europe are now pursuing the remaining operators, while victims are urged to reset credentials on affected devices. Correction: An earlier dispatch misstated the number of devices as 1.5 million; the correct figure is 2 million.

Dispatch from: Nova Stirling

Aerospace & Space Tech Correspondent