AdvertisementAdvertisementBusinessUnited States Department of Justice logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration20 Mar 2026 11:30AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST NEW YORK, March 19 : The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said it took part in an operation with Germany and Canada to take down infrastructure used by four major botnets that infected more than 3 million devices worldwide, including hundreds of thousands in the U.S.The malicious networks - Aisuru, KimWolf, JackSkid and Mossad - were used to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, with some Department of Defense websites among the targets, the Justice Department said.Most infected devices were part of the so-called Internet of Things, or web-connected appliances like webcams, digital video recorders, or Wi-Fi routers, the Department of Justice said. Operators of the botnets carried out hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks, targeting computers and servers around the world, including IP addresses owned by the Department of Defense Information Network. In some cases, they demanded payments from their victims, according to the statement."Today’s disruption of four powerful botnets highlights our commitment to eliminate emerging cyber threats to the Department of Defense and its warfighters,” said Kenneth DeChellis, a special agent in charge at the Department of Defense Investigative Service.Show MoreShow LessThe operation, conducted simultaneously in the U.S., Germany and Canada, targeted individuals behind the botnets, the Department of Justice said.The statement listed nearly two dozen major tech companies that helped the operation, including Amazon Web Services, Google, PayPal and Nokia, and the PowerOff team of the European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, whose operation against cybercriminals focusing on DDoS attacks has been running since 2017.Source: ReutersNewsletterWeek in ReviewSubscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in ReviewOur chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST