FBI-Led Operation Duck Hunt Shuts Down QakBot Malware
With Operation Duck Hunt, the FBI took control of the botnet, allowed victims to uninstall the malware loader and seized $8.6m in cryptocurrency
Stay informed on the FBI's latest cyber security operations, threats, and safety tips. Your source for up-to-date FBI infosec news and insights.
Search across headline titles and summaries.
Background for this topic.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the United States’ principal federal law-enforcement agency and a domestic intelligence authority. In cybersecurity, it investigates cybercrime, digital intrusion, online fraud, and espionage; works with victims and other agencies; and may support disruption operations, prosecutions, or public warnings. FBI references in security news often concern indictments, infrastructure seizures, malware or intrusion advisories, and requests for victim cooperation.
Practitioners can report suspected internet crime through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or contact a local FBI field office, while preserving relevant logs, messages, and other evidence. FBI engagement can provide threat intelligence, such as indicators of compromise or information about attacker infrastructure, and may affect evidence handling and legal processes. It does not replace containment, recovery, breach assessment, or privacy and regulatory notifications required of the affected organization.
With Operation Duck Hunt, the FBI took control of the botnet, allowed victims to uninstall the malware loader and seized $8.6m in cryptocurrency
A coordinated law enforcement effort codenamed Operation Duck Hunt has felled QakBot, a notorious Windows malware family that's estimated to have compromised over 700,000 computers globally and facilitated financial fraud as well as ransomware
The FBI announced today the disruption of the Qakbot botnet in an international law enforcement operation that not only seized infrastructure but also uninstalled the malware from infected devices. [...]
Totally plucked: Agents remotely roasted Windows botnet malware on victims' machines Uncle Sam today said an international law enforcement effort dismantled Qakbot, aka QBot, a notorious botnet and malware loader responsible for losses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide, and seized more than $8.6 million in illicit cryptocurrency.…
Qakbot, one of the largest and longest-running botnets to date, was taken down following a multinational law enforcement operation spearheaded by the FBI and known as Operation DuckHunt. [...]