Google Takes Legal Action Against BadBox 2.0 Operators in Cybersecurity Crackdown

Google has filed a lawsuit against the operators of BadBox 2.0, a sophisticated botnet infecting over 10 million Android devices globally. The tech giant collaborated with cybersecurity firms HUMAN Security and Trend Micro to uncover the network, which targets cheap IoT devices like streaming boxes and tablets under obscure brands.

The malicious operation pre-installs fraudulent apps to generate fake ad traffic, siphoning revenue from legitimate advertisers. Google invoked the RICO Act in its U.S. federal court filing, accusing 25 unidentified Chinese individuals of orchestrating the scheme that damages both Google's reputation and financial ecosystem.

This marks Google's second confrontation with BadBox operations, with the 2.0 version demonstrating advanced evasion tactics including presidential proxies. The botnet exploits vulnerabilities in uncertified Android devices lacking robust security measures.