FBI Dismantles Hacking Network Linked to Russian Intelligence Services: DOJ

The DOJ says the hacking network infiltrated hundreds of small or home office routers.

The FBI leveraged the malware to copy and delete stolen and malicious data from compromised routers, modifying the routers’ firewall rules to block remote management access. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday that it had disrupted a hacking network believed to be controlled by Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, better known as the GRU.

The hacking network, also known as a botnet, worked by compromising and installing malware on vulnerable computer routers around the globe, which could then be used to stage later attacks.