Google leads coordinated takedown of X.CPE botnet hidden in 1.3M set

A group of private and public sector partners have announced the coordinated takedown of X.CPE , a global botnet hidden in more than 1.3 million set-top boxes across more than 200 countries, including Canada and the U.S.

Google said in a Monday morning release that it has since updated its review process and banned the responsible OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and any future subsidiaries or affiliates from making devices with preloaded Google apps.

It said the coordinated takedown also disrupted the command-and-control domains that operated the criminal affiliates’ malware modules that it believes will sever access to at least 10 million additionally compromised devices.

“Operations like this raise the cost for criminals and show that the infrastructure they rely on isn’t out of reach,” said Charley Snyder , Head of Disruption Operations at Google Threat Intelligence Group. “Disrupting X.CPE took partners across industry working together. It’s proof that collaboration is one of the most powerful tools we have against threats that cross borders and industries.”

As of publication, Bell, TELUS, Rogers and Quebecor had not confirmed to Broadcast Dialogue whether any of their set-top boxes were among those affected.

The group says for service providers, the findings highlight a supply chain risk that may not be apparent from a device’s everyday performance.

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