NetNut cracked as Google and FBI target 2 million-device botnet

Google, the FBI and partners significantly degraded the NetNut residential proxy network — a botnet reportedly comprising ~2 million consumer devices used as exit nodes to mask malicious traffic. NetNut provided proxy services and an SDK that enrolled devices; researchers observed the network being used by hundreds of threat clusters (including espionage and criminal groups) and associated components tied to botnets like Badbox and Mirai. The disruption targets the infrastructure criminals use to conceal operations, though observers note the residential-proxy ecosystem is resilient and may adapt through reselling and alternative providers.