Google takes down Chinese malicious proxy network IPIDEA

Google has even taken IPIDEA to the court, and ensured they can’t market or distribute to those targeting unknowing internet users.

With the wider availability of affordable computers and smartphones, people have become too dependent on smart devices to work and for entertainment purposes. As per the latest report, there are more than 5.5 billion active users on the internet worldwide.

However, if people are not cautious enough, they may end up paying a costly price. A large number of cyber criminals are coming up with ingenious ways to hack the devices, take control to perform illegal acts or just steal personal and financial details.

Among them, the IPIDEA network is one of the most infamous bad actor groups. They used hijacked access to people's home internet connections in order to conduct criminal activity that couldn’t be traced to them.

Taking serious note of such actions, Google's Threat Intelligence Group in collaboration with cybersecurity firms have successfully taken down the IPIDEA, a Chinese-based malicious proxy network. It has even taken IPEDIA to the court , and ensured they can’t market or distribute to those targeting unknowing internet users.

"Residential proxy networks have become a pervasive tool for everything from high-end espionage to massive criminal schemes. By routing traffic through a person’s home internet connection, attackers can hide in plain sight. By taking down the infrastructure used to run the IPIDEA network, we have effectively pulled the rug out from under a global marketplace that was selling access to millions of hijacked consumer devices," said John Hultquist, Chief Analyst, Google Threat Intelligence Group.

Google has also shared its research with other companies to make sure IPIDEA doesn’t grow back.

Further, Google has announced that it is bringing a built-in security measure to the Google Play Protect system. It will notify Android phone owners whenever they unknowingly try to download an app containing bad IPIDEA code and urge the user to remove it from the device or block it from being installed.

That said, Android phone users are advised to be very careful when installing an app developed by unknown publishers. People should download apps from Google Play only.

Also, never 'share' the Wi-Fi or hotspot internet password with any unknown app or people.

And, it is also good practice to install a trusted anti-virus application to block more sophisticated malware from entering the device.

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