FBI takes down major ransomware botnet that hit more than 200,000 U.S. computers

The FBI announced on Tuesday that it had taken down a major malware botnet as part of a "multinational cyber takedown" operation that saw action in the U.S. and several European countries.

Since 2008, the Qakbot malware network has infected more than 700,000 computers worldwide, among them 200,000 American computers. The malware primarily used spam emails with attachments or links to infect computers.

"The FBI neutralized this far-reaching criminal supply chain, cutting it off at the knees. The victims ranged from financial institutions on the East Coast to a critical infrastructure government contractor in the Midwest to a medical device manufacturer on the West Coast," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. 

"This botnet provided cybercriminals like these with a command-and-control infrastructure consisting of hundreds of thousands of computers used to carry out attacks against individuals and businesses all around the globe," he continued.

The bureau attributed the malware to the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars across its lifespan.

The takedown operation spanned France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Latvia, the UK, and the United States. FBI Los Angeles, the bureau's Cyber Division, and myriad international partners coordinated in the endeavor.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.