"Google has aimed a knockout blow at a massive cyber weapon that researchers say is running silently on millions of devices in the homes of consumers.
On Wednesday, Google used a federal court order to get dozens of domains belonging to Ipidea removed from the internet, said Google, a unit of Alphabet. Google and security researchers say the mysterious Chinese company is an unsavory enterprise that sneaks unwanted and dangerous software on millions of phones, home computers and Android devices.
Control of the domains allowed Google to both shut down the public websites and technical back-end of the company, which operates using more than a dozen brand names. Google has also taken steps to remove hundreds of apps affiliated with the company from Android devices, it said.
The actions are expected to knock more than nine million Android devices off Ipideaâs network. They target a little known but important part of the internet that has increasingly worried cybersecurity experts.
Called âresidential proxyâ networks, these online services are built out of apps that are installed on virtually any type of internet-connected deviceâamong them media players, PCs and mobile phones. Companies such as Ipidea then rent out access to the devices to paying customers who want to use the internet anonymously. The businesses operate like Airbnbs for network bandwidth, except the people whose devices are being rented out often donât realize what is happening."
https://www.wsj.com/tech/google-aims-knockout-blow-at-chinese-company-linked-to-massive-cyber-weapon-3c3fdc40
#CyberSecurity #Google #Ipidea #Android