Google dismantles 1.3 million-box XCPE botnet

Google and industry partners have dismantled XCPE, a backdoor that enrolled more than one-point-three million television set-top boxes into a criminal botnet.

“Google and industry partners have dismantled XCPE, a backdoor that enrolled more than one-point-three million television set-top boxes into a criminal botnet. Google's threat intelligence team says Videostrong Technology intentionally developed, deployed and operated the network for financial gain through compromised consumer devices. The case turns ordinary television hardware into a cybersecurity issue, exposing how opaque supply chains can create massive distributed infrastructure inside homes. For operators and device makers, the takedown raises urgent questions about software provenance, update responsibility and security monitoring after equipment reaches viewers.”