Google is suing the BadBox 2.0 botnet group

Google has filed a lawsuit against the operators of BadBox 2.0, a China-based botnet believed to be the largest smart TV botnet in the world. The botnet has compromised over 10 million uncertified devices, including TV streaming boxes, tablets, and projectors, by pre-installing malware or using malicious apps to download malware on hardware running open-source Android software. These compromised devices were then used to conduct large-scale ad fraud and other digital crimes. In addition to the lawsuit, which seeks an injunction against the botnet's operators and unspecified damages, Google has updated Google Play Protect to automatically block known apps associated with BadBox 2.0. The FBI is also working to dismantle the botnet, with an alert about the operation issued last month. The original BadBox botnet campaign, which also primarily infiltrated Android operating systems, was identified in 2023 and disrupted in 2024. Google has been a target for this type of cybercriminal activity before, having disrupted the Glupteba botnet, one of the largest botnets with about one million Windows PCs impacted, in 2021.