Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) might as well have protected the integrity of the upcoming U.S elections by taking down a massive hacking operation that has caused lots of havoc. The software giant has confirmed taking down a number of servers hijacked by botnet Trickbot.
Trickbot Stalemate
Trickbot is an enormous network that criminals have been using to launch cyber-attacks as well as carry out ransomware attacks. The botnet is believed to be the work of Russian operatives. To curtail their operations legally, Microsoft obtained a court order to disable IP addresses associated with the botnet servers.
Trickbot has allowed hackers to sell a service that lets other hackers inject vulnerable computer routers and devices. Likewise, the botnet has resulted in the propagation of ransomware, which Microsoft and U.S authorities fear could pose a significant risk to websites used to display election information.
Trickbot has already been used to send false and malicious emails containing malware. Some of the topics exploited include the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Black Lives Matter. The malware has already infected over 1 million computing devices since 2016. The cybercriminals are believed to have acted on behalf of governments and other criminal organizations in most operations.
Microsoft Push
Microsoft has teamed up with a number of industry groups, including telecom providers, to clamp down Trickbot operations. Its action also compliments similar actions taken by the U.S Cyber Command that has disrupted a number of operations propagated by the cybercriminals.
Amid the operations, it is clear that it is highly unlikely that Microsoft and its partners will completely phase out Trickbot operations. The tech giant has already acknowledged that the attackers are likely to adapt and seek to operate eventually.
A Microsoft report indicates that the malware has already been used to spread the Ryuk ransomware, which was used to attack more than 20 organizations a week. Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) is one of the high profile institutions to fall victim to the ransomware scheme propagated by Trickbot. Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL), which provides software and applications used by many local governments, has also fallen victim to the malware.
