Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

For the past four years, a sprawling Android-based botnet called Popa has forced millions of consumer TV boxes to relay Internet traffic linked to advertising fraud, account takeovers, and mass data-scraping efforts. This week, researchers from multiple security firms concluded that the Popa botnet is linked to NetNut, a "residential proxy" provider operated by the publicly-traded Israeli firm Alarum Technologies Ltd [NASDAQ: ALAR].

On the surface, the Superbox media streaming devices for sale at retailers like BestBuy and Walmart may seem like a steal: They offer unlimited access to more than 2,200 pay-per-view and streaming services like Netflix, ESPN and Hulu, all for a one-time fee of around $400. But security experts warn these TV boxes require intrusive software that forces the user's network to relay Internet traffic for others, traffic that is often tied to cybercrime activity such as advertising fraud and account takeovers.

Google has filed a lawsuit against the anonymous operators of the Android BadBox 2.0 malware botnet, accusing them of running a global ad fraud scheme against the company's advertising platforms. [...]

Over 1 Million Infected Off-Brand Android Devices Pose Global Fraud RiskA China-based botnet operation called BADBOX 2.0 has infected more than 1 million off-brand Android smart devices globally. In an alert, the FBI advised consumers to check their home networks for suspicious activity that could be linked to multiple fraud schemes.

At least four different threat actors have been identified as involved in an updated version of a massive ad fraud and residential proxy scheme called BADBOX, painting a picture of an interconnected cybercrime ecosystem

Best not to buy cheap hardware and use third-party app stores if you want to stay clear of this vast ad fraud effort Human Security’s Satori research team says it has found a new variant of the remote-controllable Badbox malware, and as many as a million infected Android devices running it to form a massive botnet.…

Off-Brand Android Devices Come Infrected With A TrojanA botnet infected more than 1 million off-brand Android devices manufactured in China, reached consumers with a backdoor already installed. Scammers used the devices for programmatic ad fraud, click fraud and converting the devices into a residential proxy.

An ad fraud botnet dubbed PEACHPIT leveraged an army of hundreds of thousands of Android and iOS devices to generate illicit profits for the threat actors behind the scheme