LLevelNews
technologyBeginner2 min read7/8/2026

Action Against a Large Botnet

The FBI and Google worked together against a large network used for cybercrime. It used more than 2 million devices, including smart TVs and TV boxes.

The FBI and Google worked together on a big cyber safety operation. They targeted a network called NetNut. Security researchers also followed it as the Popa botnet. The network used more than 2 million devices around the world. Many were cheap Android smart TVs and TV boxes. Some were also affected through unofficial apps. After the devices went online, they worked for the attackers without clear permission from the users. This helped the attackers hide their internet traffic. Google said at least 316 threat groups used the network in one week in June 2026. They used it for password theft, identity data, ad fraud, and data gathering. Authorities took control of hundreds of web names. Google also disabled accounts used in the system and updated Play Protect.

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