US and Allies Thwart Russian Hacking Network, DOJ Announces

The FBI, in coordination with foreign partners, successfully disrupted a Russian GRU-led hacking campaign that had infiltrated over a thousand home and small business routers, using them for cyber operations against various countries, including the U.S. The operation, named "Operation Dying Ember," involved identifying and removing specific malware, dubbed "Moobot," from the routers, effectively booting out the GRU operators and preventing re-access. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the Justice Department's commitment to dismantling Russian government cyber tools, while FBI Director Christopher Wray highlighted the agency's efforts to target criminal organizations involved in cyber attacks. This follows a recent similar effort to remove Chinese government-sponsored hackers from routers targeting U.S. critical infrastructure networks.